Background: Accelerated ageing is a method to assess seed storage performance by exposing the seeds to higher temperature and relative humidity to make seeds lose its vigour and viability quickly. The seed physiological parameters are then compared with the natural ageing to derive certain conclusions. But, the molecular pattern of seed deterioration under accelerated ageing varies compared to that of natural ageing.Methods: Chickpea, seed lots of variety JG-11 and Annigeri-1 were subjected to natural ageing in cloth bag with nine per cent initial seed moisture under ambient conditions. Simultaneously, representative sample of same seed lot were also aged at 41oC and 95±2% humidity up to 120 hours.Result: Both the ageing methods had significant negative effect on seed physiological and biochemical quality parameters. The germination potential of seeds tested after 48 hours of accelerated ageing (83.5%) was equal 10 months of natural ageing (85%) in JG-11, while also in Annigeri-1, 48 hours of accelerated ageing (78%) was nearly equal to 10 months of natural ageing (80%). The protein expression analyzed through 2D-PAGE at similar germination potential brought out by two independent ageing methods showed higher protein down regulation ratio (3.4) in accelerated ageing than in natural ageing (3.2) unveiling its rapidity in the seed deterioration process. Therefore, accelerated ageing can be used for predicting chickpea seed longevity.

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Background: Profitable farming indeed needs a seed which emerges and performs better under natural ecosystem. The inadequacy of seed germination test in predicting the field performance of a seed lot, as it is carried out under controlled laboratory conditions which may not meet in the field necessitates the development and standardization of tests in a way that would reflect the performance of seeds in the field through laboratory tests.Methods: A laboratory based seed vigour tests were undertaken with 20 different seed lots of groundnut variety GPBD-4 having different vigour levels to predict the field performance. The correlation and regression analysis among the laboratory based seed vigour tests and field performance was analyzed.Conclusion: The significance of lab vigour test on the field performance revealed that, electrical conductivity was highly negatively correlated to seed emergence, speed of emergence, plant population and pod yield with r = - 0.885, - 0.885, -0.843 and -0.845, respectively. Similarly, accelerated ageing was highly correlated to plant population (r = 0.864), plant height (0.737) and pod yield (r = 0.815). Whereas, the mean germination time calculated based on radicle emergence test contributed more than 80% to field performances and mean while, electrical conductivity influencing for 71.4% variation in the pod yield. Thus, hinting refinement and use of electric conductance, accelerated ageing and mean germination time tests towards efficient prediction of field performance of groundnut seed lots.

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Aim: Assessment of influence of seed hydropriming in seed and seedling vigour enhancement for stress tolerance in chickpea which is important for successful crop production under erratic climate change causing drought and salinity stress severely affecting the seedling emergence and establishment especially in arid and semi arid regions of the world. Study Design: A three factorial randomised block design was used in the study, involving seed hydropriming treatment, chickpea varieties and growth conditions. Place and Duration of the Study: The experiment was conducted in Department of Seed Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India, during the year 2018. Methodology: Six months old chickpea seeds of variety JG-11 and Annigeri-1 were hydroprimed for 12 hours at 25°C in dark condition. The primed and unprimed control seeds are sown under normal, drought and salinity conditions imposed in pots under controlled conditions. The data recorded were analysed for Analysis of Variance (ANNOVA). Results: The result of the experiment revealed that, upon seed hydropriming an average of 19 per cent increase in seedling emergence and 53.3 per cent increase in seedling vigour index was observed as compared to unprimed control seeds irrespective of variety and the abiotic stress conditions.