Role of Chemical Priming Agents in Modulating Germination Responses to Enhance Crop Establishment in Cereal Crops

Seed priming is a critical pre-sowing strategy to enhance germination and early seedling vigour under diverse environmental conditions. This study evaluated the effects of various priming agents, including Boric acid, DAP, CaCO₃, FeCl₂, Urea, PEG (5%), CuSO₄, MOP, PEG (10%), and ZnSO₄, on germination parameters-germination percentage (GP), germination speed (GS), germination energy (GE), and vigour index (VI)-across rice, wheat, and maize varieties. A two factorial experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design, with ANOVA revealing significant effects (p < 0.001) of variety, treatment, and their interaction on germination traits. The results demonstrated that FeCl₂ significantly improved germination in rice, particularly for the BRRI Dhan-66 variety, while CaCO₃ and PEG treatments showed varying efficacy across crops. In wheat, the Bijaya variety exhibited superior performance with CaCO₃ treatment, whereas DAP was more effective for Banganga. Maize showed the highest germination rates overall, with Sundarharaicha-LR1 responding positively to ZnSO₄ and boric acid. Correlation and PCA analyses highlighted strong interdependence among germination traits, with GS and GP emerging as robust indicators. Varietal clustering in PCA revealed genetic variability in response to priming agents. This study provides valuable insights into optimizing priming techniques for enhancing seed performance in cereals. The findings emphasize the importance of tailored priming strategies based on crop species and variety to maximize agricultural productivity.