Seed coating in pulses: An innovative approach for improving seed quality and crop performance

Abstract

Seed coating in broad sense includes seed film coating seed coloring and seed pelleting. It enables accurate and uniform sticking/ coating of chemicals, makes room for including all the required ingredients like inoculants, protectants, nutrients, herbicides etc. It ensures dust free handling of treated seed. Polymer coating acts as a temperature switch and protective coat in regulating the intake of water. In pulse seeds the seed coating technology has been tested since more than two decades and positive and significant response of polymer seed coating alone or in combination with insecticide// fungicide//bio-agents//natural fillers on germination seedling vigor, growth, yield improvement, storability and control on pest infestation during storage have been reported by several workers in Soybean, chickpea, pigeon pea, field pea, green gram, black gram, cow pea and beans. Seed coating with polymers along with combination of blitox, hoagland solution and imidachloprid in prescribed doses significantly enhanced the seed quality parameters, growth and yield of soybean over uncoated control. Applying fungicides and rhizobium inoculant to seed for the control of Ascochyta blight in chickpea and field pea and powdery mildew, Downy mildew Seedling root rots (damping off) and Chocolate spot in field pea have also been discussed.