Effects of seed priming and organic nutrient management on germination and emergence of common bean

Seed priming and organic nutrient management are widely recognized strategies for improving seed germination and early seedling establishment; however, their combined effects on seed physiological quality in common bean remain insufficiently understood, particularly under controlled production systems. This study evaluated the effects of five fertilizer regimes (Control, Chemical, Organo-mineral, Cattle Manure, and Vermicompost) and eight seed-priming treatments (No priming, Hydropriming, Vermipriming, Cow Urine Priming, and their accelerated aging combinations) on germination and emergence performance of the Sazova 1949 dwarf bean cultivar across two production years. Significant effects (p < 0.05) of both fertilizer and priming treatments were observed for most seed quality traits, including germination percentage, mean germination time, germination and emergence indices, and electrical conductivity. Fertilizer regimes significantly influenced seed electrical conductivity, with organo-mineral fertilizer showing the lowest values, indicating improved membrane integrity, although some effects varied across years. Priming treatments had a pronounced effect on seed performance, where hydropriming and vermipriming significantly reduced mean germination time and improved germination percentage and vigor indices compared with non-primed seeds, while cow urine priming generally resulted in lower performance. Accelerated aging significantly reduced seed vigor; however, some priming treatments partially mitigated these negative effects. Overall, the combined use of effective seed priming and organic-based fertilizer regimes significantly enhanced seed physiological quality under laboratory conditions. However, the study was limited to controlled experiments on a single cultivar, and therefore results should be interpreted as indicators of seed vigor rather than direct agronomic performance. Field validation and long-term assessments are required to confirm broader applicability.