Effect of Nano Micronutrients on Priming and Morphological Growth of Maize Seeds

Abstract The seed priming involves the soaking of the seeds in different formulations and then germinating them under regulated environment. The Priming trial experiment was carried out at the Research and Development Laboratory of Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd. in Mumbai. Maize seeds were coated with nano micronutrient solutions, with decreasing concentrations ranging from 20 mg to 0.156 mg containing Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Iron and Boron. The objective of the study is to observe the impact of nano micronutrients by priming of maize seeds on the germination rate. Germination rates and sprout lengths were monitored under controlled conditions. After one week the effect of nano micronutrient were recorded in which, the treatment T8 with 0.312 mg of nano micronutrients exhibited the longest sprout length. Morphological observations revealed that treatment T8 (0.312 mg nano micronutrient) also led to the highest plant height (6.81 cm), root length (17.07 cm), and leaf count (1.61). The greatest number of roots was observed in treatment T7, which used 0.625 mg of nano micronutrient. Statistical analysis through ANOVA, with a 5% critical difference (CD), showed significant differences among the treatments. The findings suggest that the lower concentration of 0.312 mg of nano micronutrients enhances both the germination rate and plant morphology compared to the control, commercial micronutrients, and micronutrient salts