On-farm seed priming: a key technology for improving the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers on saline lands

2002 ◽  
pp. 423-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Rashid ◽  
D. Harris ◽  
P. A. Hollington ◽  
R. A. Khattak
Keyword(s):  
Seed Priming ◽  
Key Technology ◽  
Resource Poor ◽  
On Farm

The improvement of crop yield in marginal environments using 'on-farm' seed priming: nodulation, nitrogen fixation and disease resisitance

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Harris ◽  
W. A. Breese ◽  
J. V. D. K. Kumar Rao
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Seed Priming ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Rhizobium Inoculation ◽  
Marginal Areas ◽  
Resource Poor ◽  
On Farm

On-farm seed priming with water is a low-cost, low-risk technology that is easily adopted by resource-poor farmers. It increases the yield of tropical and subtropical annual crops in marginal areas by a combination of better crop establishment and improved individual plant performance. The effects of seed priming, i.e. soaking seeds overnight in water before sowing, on plant growth and development are consequences of faster germination, emergence, and more vigorous early growth. Results from in-vitro, on-station and on-farm experiments are discussed. Recent work has tested opportunities for resource-poor farmers to use seed priming as a vehicle for applying biofertilisers (Rhizobia). Preliminary results from field experiments suggest that these interventions are very effective over and above the already demonstrated benefits of priming with water alone. In a pot experiment using chickpea, combining a Rhizobium inoculation with seed priming significantly increased nodulation but had little effect on yield. Nevertheless, the results confirmed that Rhizobium inoculation is compatible with on-farm seed priming. Observations in the field have shown that some primed crops show enhanced resistance to disease, either as a consequence of increased vigour, altered phenology, or due to some more fundamental mechanism associated with exposure of seeds to anaerobic conditions during priming. Priming seeds of a highly susceptible cultivar of pearl millet in water for 8 h before sowing significantly reduced the incidence of downy mildew in artificially infected seedlings from 80% to less than 60%.

On-farm seed priming: using participatory methods to revive and refine a key technology

2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 151-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Harris ◽  
A.K. Pathan ◽  
P. Gothkar ◽  
A. Joshi ◽  
W. Chivasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Priming ◽  
Participatory Methods ◽  
Key Technology ◽  
On Farm

scholarly journals Using seed respiration as a tool for calculating optimal soaking times for ‘on-farm’ seed priming of barley (Hordeum vulgare)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Javier Carrillo-Reche ◽  
Adrian C. Newton ◽  
Richard S. Quilliam
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Seed Priming ◽  
Embryonic Axes ◽  
Seedling Vigour ◽  
Soaking Time ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Seed Respiration

Abstract A low-cost technique named ‘on-farm’ seed priming is increasingly being recognized as an effective approach to maximize crop establishment. It consists of anaerobically soaking seeds in water before sowing resulting in rapid and uniform germination, and enhanced seedling vigour. The extent of these benefits depends on the soaking time. The current determination of optimal soaking time by germination assays and mini-plot trials is resource-intensive, as it is species/genotype-specific. This study aimed to determine the potential of the seed respiration rate (an indicator of metabolic activity) and seed morphological changes during barley priming as predictors of the priming benefits and, thus, facilitate the determination of optimal soaking times. A series of germination tests revealed that the germination rate is mostly attributable to the rapid hydration of embryo tissues, as the highest gains in the germination rate occurred before the resumption of respiration. Germination uniformity, however, was not significantly improved until seeds were primed for at least 8 h, that is, after a first respiration burst was initiated. The maximum seedling vigour was attained when the priming was stopped just before the beginning of the differentiation of embryonic axes (20 h) after which vigour began to decrease (‘over-priming’). The onset of embryonic axis elongation was preceded by a second respiration burst, which can be used as a marker for priming optimization. Thus, monitoring of seed respiration provides a rapid and inexpensive alternative to the current practice. The method could be carried out by agricultural institutions to provide recommended optimal soaking times for the common barley varieties within a specific region.

scholarly journals On-farm seed priming interventions in agronomic crops

2018 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha CHATTERJEE ◽  
Deepranjan SARKAR ◽  
Ardit SANKAR ◽  
Sumita PAL ◽  
H. B. SINGH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Seed Priming ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Agronomic Crops ◽  
Farming Community ◽  
Crop Cycle ◽  
Good Stand ◽  
On Farm

<p>Priming techniques are gaining importance in agriculture with the increase in environmental stresses. Resource-poor farmers are in urgent need of such techniques as they are simple, economical, and value-added intervention associated with low-risk bearing factors. Seed enhancement methods are key to improve seed performance and achieve a good stand establishment. Worldwide beneficial effects of priming are recorded. But these technologies have still not reached most farmers. This review highlights the importance of on-farm priming strategies in modern crop production system to yield better productivity and obtain higher economic returns. Stimulation of the pre-germination metabolic changes by priming is necessary to overcome the environmental challenges that a plant can encounter. Thus, the study also focuses on mechanisms associated with priming-induced stress tolerance of crops. Various safe practical methods of seed priming can be easily adopted by the farming community to alleviate the levels of different stresses which can hamper productivity. Simultaneously they can produce good quality seeds and use them further for the next crop cycle cutting the costs of seed purchase.</p>

PARTICIPATORY EVALUATION BY FARMERS OF ON-FARM SEED PRIMING IN WHEAT IN INDIA, NEPAL AND PAKISTAN

2001 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Harris ◽  
B. S. Raghuwanshi ◽  
J. S. Gangwar ◽  
S. C. Singh ◽  
K. D. Joshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Priming ◽  
Germination Percentage ◽  
Wheat Seed ◽  
Saline Irrigation ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Marginal Areas ◽  
Input Use ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Tribal Areas ◽  
Mean Time

The mean time for 50% germination at 20 °C of 12 Indian wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars was nearly halved, from 51 h to 27 h, by soaking seed in water for 8 h prior to sowing. A delay of 24 h without further soaking, intended to simulate postponement of sowing, reduced the time saved by priming to 16%. Priming had no effect on final germination percentage. These results were used in the design of 275 on-farm, farmer-managed, participatory trials of seed priming in wheat during the 1997–98 and 1998–99 rabi (post-monsoon) seasons. In forty-one trials in tribal areas of Bihar and West Bengal states of India, seed priming gave a 13% grain yield advantage for farmers growing wheat in marginal areas with low levels of agricultural inputs. Mean benefits from seed priming of wheat in nine trials in Chitwan, Nepal were 17%. In high potential areas of Gujarat, India, 205 trials had higher rates of input use. Yield benefit from priming in these trials averaged only 5% but constituted an extra 200 kg ha−1 grain at little or no cost. In 20 trials on marginal land, with slightly saline irrigation water in Ahmadwala, Pakistan, an average yield increase of 36% was obtained using seed primed with a 0.2% gypsum solution. Collaborating farmers reported that priming wheat seed overnight resulted in faster, more complete emergence, more vigorous early growth, better tillering, earlier flowering, larger ears, earlier maturity and higher yields. In addition, many farmers also reported that foliage in primed plots was a darker shade of green than that in non-primed plots, suggesting that primed plants may have been using nitrogen more efficiently. Seed priming was popular with farmers, most of whom reported that they would prime wheat seed the following year. A survey in Gujarat in 1998–99 of 63 farmers who had tested priming in 1997–98 showed that, while 65% had primed some of their own seed, none had primed more than 50 kg, suggesting that there were practical difficulties in priming larger volumes of seed.

scholarly journals Can ‘On-Farm’ Seed Priming and Chitosan Seed Treatments Induce Host Defences in Winter Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under Field Conditions?

Crops ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-87
Author(s):  
Javier Carrillo-Reche ◽  
Adrian C. Newton ◽  
Francesc Ferrando-Molina ◽  
Richard S. Quilliam
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Stem Elongation ◽  
Crop Protection ◽  
Seed Priming ◽  
Winter Barley ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Seed Treatments ◽  
Hordeum Vulgare L ◽  
Disease Tolerance ◽  
On Farm

Enhancing host defences through induced resistance, disease tolerance, and/or escape, in combination with current disease management regimes may be a valuable strategy to reduce pesticide use. Since both ‘on-farm’ seed priming (OSP) and chitosan priming (CHP) have been reported to confer varying levels of host defence, this study sought to investigate their potential to deliver disease control as a strategy for sustainable management of foliar pathogens in winter barley. Field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of OSP and CHP at two different field sites using three different cultivars under fungicide/non-fungicide regimes. Overall, no evidence was found to suggest that CHP or OSP can induce effective resistance in temperate field conditions. However, these field trials enabled the identification of candidate traits to deliver disease tolerance (and escape) for the primary and secondary spread of powdery mildew, i.e., large canopies and rapid stem elongation respectively. Thus, these seed treatments may deliver disease tolerance and escape traits, but these benefits are dependent upon successful establishment and vigour first. The integration of seed treatments into sustainable crop protection may be better undertaken with spring crops or in semi-arid agriculture where the added vigour at emergence can help compensate for negative environmental interactions.

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