Effect of priming treatments on emergence and yield of freshly produced and aged maize seeds sown at different depths

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether different priming treatments could affect emergence, speed of emergence and yield of freshly produced and aged maize seeds sown at different depths. Two lots of parental maize line A634 produced in the previous season were used as seed source, and twenty-year-old seed. After priming with distilled water and 0.5% KNO3 solution, the seed was sown at four depths. Results showed that freshly produced seeds did not benefit from priming treatments. Reaction of the aged seeds differed depending on the priming treatment. Results indicated that priming with KNO3 should be avoided in aged seeds of A634 because of its detrimental effect on the emergence and yield. Hydropriming induced higher percentage of emerged plants and faster emergence, but with no effect on yield. Reaction to priming treatments varied with sowing depth, which should not exceed 5.0 cm for parental line A634 according to this study.

Keywords

• emergence
• maize
• priming
• seeds
• yields