On-farm seed priming reduces yield losses of mungbean (Vigna radiata) associated with mungbean yellow mosaic virus in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan
Abstract
The effect of priming seed for 8 h with water before sowing on the incidence and severity of infection of mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) with mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) was investigated in a replicated, large-plot trial in 2002. Primed seeds germinated and emerged faster and more completely, resulting in the establishment of 45% more plants per unit area than non-primed seeds. However, subsequent mortality during the growth cycle in both treatments reduced this to a small, non-significant difference between treatments at final harvest. Symptoms of MYMV infection were assessed using a visual scoring index (VSI). More than 70% of the non-primed plants were judged to have severe or lethal symptoms whereas only 14% of the primed plants were similarly affected. Only 9% of non-primed plants showed no disease symptoms in contrast to 32% of primed plants. These marked differences between priming treatments in the incidence and severity of disease were reflected in the components of yield. Primed crops produced 80% more above-ground biomass (3.3 versus 1.9 t ha−1), 264% more pod yield (1.0 versus 0.28 t ha−1) and 415% more grain (0.36 versus 0.07 t ha−1) than did non-primed crops. Several possible hypotheses to explain these differences in response to MYMV are discussed.
Citation
Abdul Rashid; Harris, D.; Hollington, P.A.; Shamsher Ali. On-farm seed priming reduces yield losses of mungbean (Vigna radiata) associated with mungbean yellow mosaic virus in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Crop Protection (2004) 23 (11) 1119-1124. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2004.04.002]