Evaluation of Irrigation Frequencies and Seed Priming with Plant Nutrients on Growth and Yield of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Genotypes

Abstract

The role of proper irrigation frequency is very essential to obtain optimum yield potentials. Seed priming by water and different nutrients enhances the germination, establishment of seedling, growth and ultimately yield of crop. The experiment was conducted at Students’ Experimental Farm, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam during autumn 2017 and 2018 for two consecutive years. Split plot design was used and the treatments were replicated thrice. The experimental units were consisted of three factors: irrigation frequencies (two, three, four and five); seed priming (no priming, Priming of seed with canal water, 1.0% Urea and 0.2% Zinc sulphate); and two genotypes of sunflower (HO-1) and (Hysun-33). The analysis of data indicated that irrigation frequencies, seed priming and their interaction affected significantly (P≤ 0.05) on growth and yields of traits of sunflower genotypes. In case of irrigation frequencies, enhanced seed yield (2256 kg ha-1) was recorded in five irrigations followed by four irrigations having non-significant differences with each other. Genotype, HO-1 was found superior over Hysun-33 by producing greatest seed yield (1894 kg ha-1). The seed priming with 0.2% ZnSO4resulted in highest (2010 kg ha-1) seed yield seconded by seed priming with 1.0% Urea (1966 kg ha-1). The interaction of seed priming with 0.2% ZnSO4× five irrigations gave highest seed yield (2459 kg ha-1) followed by the interaction of seed priming with 0.2% ZnSO4× four irrigations (2453 kg ha-1) Hence, findings of this study suggested that optimum growth and yield of sunflower could be obtained by applying four irrigations and priming seeds with 0.2% ZnSO4preferring genotype HO-1 under agro-climatic conditions of Tandojam, Pakistan.