Effect of Seed Priming on Specific Activity of Acid Phosphatase and -Amylase in Germinating Seeds and Correlation Study in Onion (Allium cepa L.)

An experiment was laid out in a factorial RBD with three replications involving two lots i.e. fresh and one year old onion seeds and eight seed priming treatments. The seeds were primed with zinc (0.5 and 0.75%), magnesium (0.5 and 0.75%), calcium (0.5 and 0.75%) and GA₃ (50 and 100ppm) for 6 hours before laboratory germination and untreated control. The enzyme activity for acid phosphatase and a-amylase at 6hr priming of seed, 3^rd day to germination, 6^th day to germination, 9^th day to germination and 12^th day to germination was carried out in laboratory. All the treatments in fresh seed lot showed higher acid phosphatase activity upto 3^rd day of germination than old seed lot. However, old seed lot treatments surpassed fresh seed lot treatments on 6^th day analysis. Positive and non significant correlation up to 6 days of germination was observed in old seed lot for germination. In the case of fresh seed lot positive and non significant correlation was observed for germination. In the present investigation a-amylase activity in old untreated seed was more (0.90) as compared to fresh untreated seed (0.34). After 6 h seed priming a-amylase activity was more in old seed lot treatments than fresh seed lot treatments. In the case of old seed lot treatments a-amylase activity increased upto 6^th day except in old untreated seed wherein it increased upto 9^th day. In the case of old seed lot positive significant correlation for a - amylase up to 6 days of germination was found. In fresh seed lot significant correlation for a -amylase was found except at 9 days to germination.