Influence of seed priming and sowing methods on growth and productivity of wheat cultivars differing in seed size in rice-wheat cropping system of Punjab, Pakistan

Poor and erratic stand establishment causes significant yield loss in wheat sown after puddled rice in rice-wheat cropping system. Such losses can be overcome by sowing of wheat with appropriate cultivar after seed priming by conservation tillage practices. Primed (hydropriming and osmopriming with CaCl ₂ ) and dry seeds of three wheat cultivars AS-2002, FSD-2008, Lasani-2008 (having bold, medium and small seed size, respectively) were planted by plough tillage, happy seeder (zero tillage) and turbo seeder. Wheat planted with conservation tillage using happy seeder improved the grain yield and related parameters. Bold seeded variety 'AS-2002' had better stand establishment, yield contributing traits and grain yield than small and medium seed varieties. Crop sown with happy seeder using hydroprimed seeds completed its maturity earlier through rapid phenological developments. Hydropriming of medium seeded variety (FSD-2008) sown with happy seeder produced maximum economic return followed by osmoprimed seed of Lasani-2008 (small seeded using happy seeder. In conclusion, sowing of primed seeds (hydropriming/osmopriming) of medium seeded cultivar after seed priming with happy seeder improved the productivity of wheat sown in conventional rice-wheat system.