Effect of Seed Priming and Mulching on Growth and Productivity of Rain-fed Sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.) during Summer Season

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during summer season of 2010 at Agricultural research farm, (Institute of Agriculture), Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan, Birbhum, West Bengal. The soil of the experiment site was sandy loam in texture, having low in organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus and medium in potassium. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications in which three types of mulching and four seed priming. Result showed that use of plastic mulching as well as seed priming with GA3significantly improved plant height, aerial biomass production, chlorophyll content, relative leaf water content, number of primary branches plant-1, number of capsules plant-1, number of seeds capsule-1, seed yield, stalk yield and harvest index were obtained with plastic mulching. The crop with plastic mulching produced high seed yield (995 kg ha-1), stalk yield (1352 kg ha-1). On the other hand crop receiving GA3produced high seed yield (886 kg ha-1), stalk yield (1314 kg ha-1).