Impact of bio-pesticides and storage containers on lentil seed preservation and pre-sowing fungal treatment

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 541 - 549, 29.09.2024

Jahan Al Mahmud , Mahtalat Ahmed , Md. Mamun Hossain , Md. Mahadi Morshed , Sanjoy Kumar Adhikary

https://doi.org/10.31015/jaefs.2024.3.7

Abstract

We conducted a study to determine the most effective method of preserving lentil seeds for future sowing. The experiment involved six different types of storage containers: cotton cloth bags, tin containers, earthen pots, plastic containers, polythene bags, and gunny bags. We also used four plant extracts: Piper betel (Betel leaf), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Allium indica (Garlic), and Swietenia mahagoni (Mahagani). We measured the vigor index and germination percentage at 2, 4, and 6 months after storage, and then documented the fungal connection. In a separate experiment, we conducted a pre-sowing seed treatment using botanicals and biological agents such as garlic (5% w/v aqueous solution), datura (5% w/v aqueous solution), mehogoni leaf extract (5% w/v aqueous solution), mehogoni seed extract (5% w/v aqueous solution), and fern leaf extract (5% w/v aqueous solution). We treated the seeds with various substances to suppress seed-borne fungi, including ash coating (10 g kg-1 seed), fresh cow dung coating, a solution of cow urine (5% v/v water), Provax-200 (2 g kg-1 seed), and an untreated control group. In terms of germination, vigor index, and seed infection, the lentil seeds stored in a polythene bag with neem leaf extract significantly outperformed the other treatments. We found that the durability of lentil seeds significantly decreased as the storage time increased. The seed treatment fungicide Provax-200 had a significant impact on lowering the presence of fungus (by 87.41%) and boosting the germination percentage (by 39.49%) of lentil seeds.

Keywords

Lentil seed preservation, Storage containers, Plant extracts, Seed germination, Seed-borne fungi, Pre-sowing treatment

Supporting Institution

This research was supported by the CSISA-BARC Scholarship Program, Bangladesh, 2013

Thanks

We would like to express my sincere gratitude to Sanjoy Kumar Adhikary (Supervisor), and Mahtalat Ahmed (Co-supervisor) for their invaluable guidance and support throughout my PhD research. Special thanks to Md. Mamun Hossain and Md. Mahadi Morshed, for their assistance with manuscript drafting, editing, incorporating reviewers feedback, and facilitating the publication process. We are also grateful to the CSISA-BARC Scholarship Program, Bangladesh (2013), for providing the financial support necessary to complete this research.

References

• Anwar, A., Xianchang, Y. U., & Yansu, L. I. (2020). Seed priming as a promising technique to improve growth, chlorophyll, photosynthesis and nutrient contents in cucumber seedlings. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 48(1), 116-127. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha48111806
• Damalas, C. A., Koutroubas, S. D., & Fotiadis, S. (2019). Hydropriming effects on seed germination and field performance of faba bean in spring sowing. Agriculture, 9(9), 201. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9090201
• Devika, O.S., Singh, S., Sarkar, D., Barnwal, P., Suman, J., & Rakshit, A. (2021). Seed priming: a potential supplement in integrated resource management under fragile intensive ecosystems. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.654001
• Feng, G., Luo, H., Zhang, Y., Gou, L., Yao, Y., Lin, Y., & Zhang, W. (2016). Relationship between plant canopy characteristics and photosynthetic productivity in diverse cultivars of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). The Crop Journal, 4(6), 499-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2016.05.012
• Jain, A., Singh, S., Sarma, B.K., & Singh, H.B. (2012). Microbial consortium–mediated reprogramming of defence network in pea to enhance tolerance against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 112 (3), 537–550. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2011.05220.x
• Kaur, S., Kaur, R., & Chauhan, B. S. (2018). Understanding crop-weed-fertilizer-water interactions and their implications for weed management in agricultural systems. Crop Protection, 103, 65-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro. 2017.09.011
• Ling, Q., Huang, W., & Jarvis, P. (2011). Use of a SPAD-502 meter to measure leaf chlorophyll concentration in Arabidopsis thaliana. Photosynthesis Research, 107(2), 209-214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-010-9606-0
• Mengual, C., Schoebitz, M., Azcon, R., & Roldan, A. (2014). Microbial inoculants and organic amendment improves plant establishment and soil rehabilitation under semiarid conditions. Journal of Environmental Management, 134, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.01.008
• Paparella, S., Araújo, S.S., Rossi, G., Wijayasinghe, M., Carbonera, D., & Balestrazzi, A. (2015). Seed priming: State of the art and new perspectives. Plant Cell Reports, 34, 1281–1293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-015-1784-y
• Ryan, J. (2011). Rainfed farming systems in the West Asia–North Africa (WANA) Region. In Rainfed Farming Systems (pp. 365-393). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9132-2_15