Seed Priming: An Approach to Enhance Weed Competitiveness and Productivity in Aerobic Rice: A Review

Growing rice under aerobic soil conditions is a promising water-wise technology under the context of ever-mounting water scarcity, but it is subject to poor stand establishment and high weed pressure. This invites severe competition between weeds and rice, thus reducing the crop yields on an average of 50-60 per cent. Early weed control is essential in aerobic rice. Therefore, any effort to mitigate the ill effect of crop-weed competition in the early stages of crop growth will ultimately enhance yield of aerobic rice. So, ‘seed priming’ is one of the best options to manage crop-weed competition in the early stages of crop growth. Seed priming is an approach to add moisture to seeds allowing seeds to be hydrated partially without radicle emergence Beneficial effects of seed priming such as higher germination uniformity, better allometric attributes, rapid stand establishment and vigorous early plant growth were important components for weed competitiveness in aerobic rice. Higher and synchronized emergence of primed seeds can ensure vigorous crop stand with rapid canopy development giving rice plants a preliminary advantage over weeds. Different seed priming methods/ priming agents Viz. hydro, osmo, halo, bio, solid matrix priming have been found effective in increasing the vigour and yield of aerobic rice. Therefore, seed priming is supposed to play a significant role in weed suppression. Seed priming also enhances the grain yield of rice mainly due to more vigorous seedlings resulting in earlier and enhanced resource capture, higher numbers of panicle-bearing tillers due to low mortality of seedlings, improved nutrient and moisture supply.

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