Impact of Sowing Methods on Morphological, Yield and Seed Quality Traits of Salvia hispanica Accessions and Lallemantia royleana

Chia (Salvia hispanica) is considered as a functional super-food because of its exceptional seed nutritional profile. A field experiment was conducted to optimize sowing strategies for Tukhm-e-Bulangu (Lallemantia royleana) and different accessions of Chia (UAF-CBK, UAF-CG and UAF-CSLBK) with the aim of improving grain yield and seed quality. During winter season of 2016-17, Chia and L. royleana seeds were sown using three methods including broadcasting, line sowing and nursery transplantation. Data regarding morphological, leaf biochemical and yield-contributing parameters were recorded. Results indicated that all morphological traits, leaf biochemical properties and yield-related attributes were significantly influenced by sowing methods, accessions and their interactions. However, there was a non-significant effect of sowing methods on nutritional composition of Chia seeds. Line sowing consistently produced the highest grain yield (410.69 kg. ha-¹), outperforming both broadcasting (329.23 kg. ha-¹) and nursery transplantation (227.59 kg. ha-¹). Among accessions, UAF-CBK recorded the highest grain yield (479.37 kg. ha-¹), surpassing UAF-CG, UAF-CSLBK and L. royleana. The study also clarified the common misconception that Chia and Tukhm-e-Bulangu are the same, revealing clear morphological differences.