Author(s): S. SREEPRIYA AND T. GIRIJA

Abstract: A field study was conducted at Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kayamkulam to understand the effect of seed priming on improving weed competitiveness in sesame variety Thilak. Seed priming treatments selected were plant growth regulator, GA (gibberellic acid), micronutrients (MnSO4, borax), mixture of MnSO4 and borax with GA (tank mix), and water. Species wise weed count and weed dry matter production were calculated at 10 DAS and at harvest. The results revealed that the highest weed control efficiency of 38 per cent was recorded in seed priming with MnSO4 followed by tank mix and borax. The improvement in weed competitiveness of sesame may be due to the enhancement in the early seedling vigour of the primed seeds. This was evident from the improved Crop growth rate (CGR), Net assimilation rate (NAR) and Leaf area index (LAI). The reduced weed density along with improvement in early growth parameters contributed to higher yield of sesame.

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