The present investigation was carried out with the objective to estimate genetic variability involving 65 genotypes (fifteen parents and fifty F1s crosses) grown in a randomized block design with three replications at crop research farm Nawabganj. The analysis of variance revealed the significant differences among the treatments forseven characters out of eight characters indicating considerable variability among the genotypes fordays to flowering (75%), plant height (cm), number of productive tillers/plant, flag leaf area (cm) 2 , spike length (cm), number of spikelets/spike and grain yield/plant (gm). Variability also reflected based on mean, range, phenotypic coefficient of variation and genotypic coefficient of variation therefore selection of the parents under study based on morphological differences for different characters was validated through ANOVA and other parameters. The range varied from days to maturity (112.00-120.33) for parents anddays to maturity (112.00 to 119.66) for F1and maximum phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) of traits days to maturity (112.00 to 119.66) for parents were generally higher than genotypic coefficients of variance (GCV)36.72 (Grain yield/plant) indicating the presence of enough genetic variability in the material under study.

The experiment was conducted during two consecutive years 2019-20 & 2020-21 at Oil Seed Farm of C. S. Azad University of Agriculture & Technology Kanpur. Two varieties namely Kanti (V1) and Maya (V2) seeds were sown in Rabi season (October-April 2019 & 2020), seven chemicals concentrations were applied as foliar spray treatments at vegetative stage, at anthesis stage and at both stage which were as Salicylic acid @ 800 ppm (T1, T8 and T15), Salicylic acid spray at vegetative stage @ 400 ppm (T2, T9 and T16), Ascorbic acid @ 10 ppm (T3, T10 and T17), Potassium chloride @ 1% (T4, T11 and T18), thiourea @ 400 ppm (T5, T12 and T19), Cycocel @ 800 ppm (T6, T13 and T20), Cycocel @ 400 ppm (T7, T14 and T21) and T0-Control (without spray). Freshly harvested seeds of each plot were stored under ambient condition in cotton bag for nine months and seed viability (%), seed germination (%), seedling length (cm) and seedling vigour index-I was recorded at every three month of interval. At the end of storage period significantly maximum seed viability (90.42%), seed germination (89.05%), seedling length (14.24cm) and SVI-I (1268) was found in sample collected from treatment T19-Thiourea spray at vegetative + anthesis stage @ 400 ppm followed by treatment T16 irrespective of varieties. Within varieties, variety Maya was significantly superior over variety Kanti.