Effect of plant growth regulators on vegetative growth, sex expression,fruit setting, seed yield and quality was studied for hybrid seed production in the parental lines of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) hybrids,Pusa hybrid 1 and Pusa hybrid 2 in rainy and spring-summer season. Plant growth regulators namely GA3 @ 50 ppm, NAA @ 200 ppm, maleic hydrazide @ 100 ppm, etherel @ 50 ppm were sprayed at three leaf and tendril initiation stage. The results showed that application of GA3 significantly enhanced vine length, number of branches and nodes/vine, fruiting, seed yield and quality in the parental lines in both the seasons.The plants sprayed with growth regulators showed induction of female flowers at lower nodes with 3-5 more pistillate flowers per vine and higher sex ratio as compared to unsprayed control. In manually pollinated flowers, plants sprayed with GA3@ 50 ppm had higher fruit and seed setting, fruit weight and hybrid seed yield. All the growth regulators had positive influence on vegetative, flowering and fruit traits in both the seasons but effect of growth regulators were more evident in rainy than springsummer season. GA3 @ 50 ppm, NAA @ 200 ppm, etherel @ 50 ppm were effective for enhancement in vegetative growth, fruit and seed yield and modification of sex expression but GA3 @ 50 ppm sprayed twice at three leaf and tendril initiation stage was most effective for hybrid seed production of bitter gourd.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is one of the earliest domesticated plants grown for its protein and oil rich seed, fiber and psychoactive substances and it is one of the earliest known medicinal plants in human history. Studies were conducted on seed germinability (germination test) and viability (topographical tetrazoliun chloride test) in three seed lots to determine the seed quality. Studies conducted on effect of five seed moisture contents (5, 7, 8, 10 and 12 % on fresh weight basis), three storage temperature (ambient, 15°C and -20°C) and eight storage periods (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months) on seed longevity revealed that the critical moisture content (moisture content required in seeds for retaining initial germination after storage of seeds up to 36 months) of seeds for ambient storage condition of Delhi was 5 %, which increased to 7 % in 15°C and 12 % at -20°C storage temperature. The seeds are desiccation as well as chilling tolerant, therefore, exhibit orthodox storage behavior and are ideal for ex-situ conservation of seeds in seed/gene banks.

Onion seeds are prone to rapid germination and viability losses under unfavourable storage conditions. The final germination percentage is considered the most important parameter for determining the performance of seed lots after storage, although other quantitative traits, such as the time and speed of germination, help in more realistic predictions of seed germination. A study was conducted on seventeen seed lots of onion seeds to delineate the most comprehensive parameter indicating seed performance after storage using the four-parameter Hill function (4-PHF) mathematical model. Seeds of seventeen onion cultivars were subjected to accelerated ageing at 42 °C and 100% RH for 48, 96 and 144 h, followed by seed germination evaluation. The germination performance was evaluated by 4-PHF based on time-related parameters, such as the time to maximum germination rate (TMGR), time to 50% germination (T₅₀), and uniformity (U), along with the germination percentage (a), shape and steepness of the Four-Parameter Hill Function (FPHF) curve (b), which were important determinants of the area under curve (AUC), and RoG (rate of germination) curves. Among the parameters, the AUC was found to provide the most comprehensive evaluation of the storage performance of the onion varieties and was decisive in the classification of the varieties as ‘good’ or ‘poor’ storers. A positive correlation between seed vigour index-I (SVI-I) and the AUC reiterated the suitability of using 4-PHF parameters for the assessment of the storage potential of onion varieties.

A study was conducted to assess quality and storage potential of seeds of onion varieties with accelerated ageing test. Fresh seeds of seventeen onion varieties were pre-conditioned and subjected to accelerated ageing (AA) at 42^oC and 100% RH for six days. The results showed differential and signifcant response of AA treatment on onion seed quality traits with respect to germination per cent, germination rate, seed vigour and electrical conductance of seed leachates. The seed germination and seed vigour index-I (SVI-I) ranged from 87.0 to 99.0% and 743.07 to 1204.17 in unaged seeds which declined to 40.0 to 76.0% and 190.62 to 593.64, respectively, after the ageing treatment. The onion varieties could be categorised as good, medium and poor storer based on response to AA treatment using cluster analysis. Among the varieties under study, Bhima Kiran, Bhima Shakti, Bhima Super, Bhima Shweta, Arka Bheem, Pusa Red, Pusa Riddhi, Agrifound Light Red were good storers as they retained high seed quality (seed germination: 70 ± 1.33% and seed vigour index-1: 481.55 ± 24.58) and showed least decline in studied traits after AA test; Pusa Madhavi, Early Grano and Bhima Shubhra as medium storers (seed germination: 62 ± 2.37% and SVI-I: 400.98 ± 34.04) and Arka Pragati, Arka Kalyan, Arka Ujjwal, Arka Niketan, NHRDF Red and Agrifound Dark Red as poor storers (seed germination: 58 ± 2.23% and SVI-I: 368.90 ± 37.72). The study helped in classifcation of onion varieties into different storage groups based on performance under accelerated ageing test.

International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN:2319-7692(Print), ISSN:2319-7706(Online) is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal with reputable academics and experts as members of its Editorial Board. The Current Microbiology aims to publish all the latest and outstanding research articles. Review and letters in all areas of major importance to techniques of microbiology and applied research with publishes high quality of review and research articles on novel aspects of Microbiology including Environmental, Food, Agricultural, Medical, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary, Soil, Water and Biodeterioration.

High germination and seed vigor under sub-optimum temperature is desirable for successful stand establishment in Sweet Corn. Aninvestigation was undertaken to assess the performance of shrunken2 based Sweet Corn hybrids; CMVL Sweet Corn-1 and Pusa SuperSweet Corn-2 and their parental lines; SWT16, SWT17, VSL16 and VSL4 for early seed vigor parameters under sub-optimum (15⁰C, 20⁰C)and optimum (25⁰C) temperature conditions. Among the genotypes, hybrids (CMVL Sweet Corn-1 and Pusa Super Sweet Corn-2) weresuperior than their parental lines for the seed vigor traits like seedling emergence, germination index, mean germination time (MGT),vigor indices, root growth parameters and field emergence under sub-optimum temperature. The inbred lines; SWT16 and SWT17had better performance than VSL16 and VSL4 for seed vigor parameters under sub-optimum temperatures. Seedling root architectureaffected seedling performance and establishment under sub-optimum conditions. In the study, under sub-optimum temperaturesseedling root parameters i.e. the root length, surface area and root volume reduced whereas the root diameter increased in the sweetcorn lines. Vigor index-II (0.87 and 0.78) and MGT (-0.87and -0.54) showed significant correlation with the field emergence of sweet corn genotypes under 15 and 20oC respectively and thus could be the selection indices for identifying sweet corn genotypes with optimum performance under sub-optimum temperature regimes.