Effect of priming on okra cultivars with different single super phosphate (SSP) concentrations

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at New Horticulture Research Farm Malakandher, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan during the year 2016. The experiment was laid out according to Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 2 factor factorial, having 24 treatments each replicated three times. Factor (A) consisted of okra cultivars (Punjab Selection, Sabz Pari, Supper Green and Swat Green). Factor (B) consisted of different single super phosphate concentrations {0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2%}.Seeds were primed for 24 hours. Unprimed seed and priming with water were taken as control treatments. Results showed that seed primed with 0.5 % of single super phosphate concentration had maximum germination percentage (93.17 %), minimum number of days to emergence (5.12 days) and number of days to first flowering (29.77 days), maximum plant height (140.84 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (32.62), number of pods plant-1 (25.09), pod length (9.76 cm), number of seeds pod-1 (42.22), pod yield (8.94 tons ha-1), seed yield (769.98 kg ha-1), and 100 seed weight (6.34 g), whereas maximum survival percentage (95.55 %) was recorded in the seeds primed with 2% SSP. In case of cultivars maximum germination percentage (88.32 %), minimum number of days to emergence (5.39 days) number of days to first flowering (30.67 days) maximum plant height (140.11 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (31.59), number of pod plant-1 (24.22), pod length (9.37 cm), number of seeds pod-1 (41.39), and pod yield (8.84 tons ha-1) were recorded in Sabz Pari whereas maximum survival percentage (92.72%), seed yield (768.06 kg ha-1), 100 seed weight (6.32 g) were recorded in Swat Green. It is concluded that seed priming with 0.5 % phosphorus gave better result in almost all parameters. Okra cultivar, Sabz Pari showed best result in majority attributes under the agroclimatic condition of Peshawar,