EFFECT OF SEED SOAKING WITH PYRIDOXINE ON GROWTH, SEED YIELD AND ITS COMPONENTS IN SORGHUM SORGHUM BICOLOR L. (MOENCH)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at experimental farm, College of Agriculture, Anbar University in replace Location (Abu-Ghraib, 20 km west of Baghdad) during the spring and autumn seasons of 2015. The aim of this study was to find out the effect of pyridoxine concentration (0, 2, 4 and 6) g l-1 and four periods of seed soaking (8, 16, 24, and 32) hour on some growth traits, grain yield and its components in sorghum (CV. Bohooth 70). The experiment was designed as a split plot in RCBD with three replications. Pyridoxine concentrations were used as main plot, while soaking periods of seed were used as a sub plot. Results showed that in both seasons, seeds soaking with pyridoxine conc. 4 g l-1 was superior in most of traits (plant height, leaf area, biological yield, No. of seeds per head, seed weight and seed yield). Since it produced 2.972 t ha-1 and 4.332 t ha-1 in spring and autumn seasons respectively. In spring season, seed soaking for 24 hour before sowing significantly increased plant height and leaf area, thus positively reflected in increasing of biological yield, also this treatment produce highest seed weight, No. of seeds per head and seed yield (2.803 t ha-1). While in autumn season, seed soaking for 16 hour before sowing gave highest seed weight, No. of seeds per head, and seed yield (3.886 t ha-1). There were some traits significantly influenced by the interaction between pyridoxine conc. and soaking period's (leaf area, seed weight per head and No. of seeds per head) in autumn season