Effect of Seed Mycoflora on Seed Germination and Seedling Vigour of Chick Pea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the world's third most important pulse crop and regarded as the "King of pulses". It contributes significantly to nutritional security and soil fertility control through extensive cropping worldwide. The quality of seeds is critical to producing a healthy crop.
Seed-borne infections cause seed degradation, reduced viability, germination, and vigor, as well as aberrant seedling growth. Research using artificial seed inoculation revealed that all seven of the fungus seriously impaired the health status of the seed. In comparison to healthy seeds, fungus reduced seed germination by 17 to 48, shoot length by 16.84 to 56.47, and root length by 27.86 to 62.63 percent, respectively. Seed inoculation with Macrophomina phaseolina s significantly lower the germination (52.00%), minimum shoot length (4.47 cm), root length (5.47 cm) and seedling vigour index (516.88) among the evaluated different treatments. The maximum germination (100%), maximum shoot length (10.27 cm), root length (14.64 cm) and seedling vigour index (2491).