Preserving Seed Quality in Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.): The Role of Seed Coating and Storage Temperature

Seed coating is one of the effective seed invigoration techniques used to enhance different quality parameters of seeds under ambient and stress conditions. In the present investigation we studied the effect of seed coating of different chemicals in freshly harvested chilli seeds over a storage period of nine months in two different storage temperature i.e., room temperature and cold storage (≤ 5oC). Freshly harvested chilli seeds subjected to coating with ZnSO4(1%), KNO3(3%), Na2HPO4 (1%), Pseudomonas fluorescence (2%) and carbendazim (0.2%) along with control. After the seed treatments they were dried under shade to regain the original weight, packed in 300-gauge air tight polythene bag and stored separately in two storage temperatures. Observations were recorded on germination (%), speed of germination, root length, shoot length, seedling length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour index I and II. The experiment was conducted in CRD with three replications. Results revealed that all the treated seeds retained satisfactory seed quality parameters when stored in cold storage compared to room temperature. Under room temperature storage, only seeds coated with KNO₃ and Carbendazim achieved germination rates above 60%. Among these, KNO₃-coated seeds recorded the highest germination (68.50%), speed of germination (11.89), vigour index-I (760.11), and vigour index-II (1231.80). In cold storage conditions, KNO₃-coated seeds again exhibited maximum germination (87.50%), vigour index-I (1087.58), and vigour index-II (1485.50), while seeds coated with Carbendazim showed the highest speed of germination (27.61). Thus, integrating appropriate seed coatings, especially with nutrients and fungicides, along with cold storage, is essential for improving germination and vigor and maintaining the viability, during storage.