Influence of Microbial Seed Priming on Early Growth, Flowering and Maturation in Cucumber Under in vitro and in vivo Conditions

The study was conducted to evaluate the microbial seed priming technique in cucumber using Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Biocontrol Agents (BCAs) for uniform seedling emergence, fast and early growth to escape the plants from biotic and abiotic stress both under greenhouse and field condition. The treatment T9 (microbial primed with (Az.b + B.m +P.f + T.h)) had enhanced the plant growth by increasing the mean no. of leaves to 34.44 with the lengthiest internode of 21.20 cm/pl with more no. of internodes that 21.65, compared with the unprimed control (7.68, 4.95cm/pl and 6.50) respectively in green house condition. The same trend was followed in field also. The number of days taken for tendril initiation and 50 per cent flowering was 21.69 and 41.01 in green house and 30.57 and 43.92 under field condition. It was very early when compared with the unprimed control. It took 46.42 and 71.11 mean no. of days to initiate the tendril and to attain 50 per cent flowering in control under field condition. Microbial seed priming also influenced the yield parameters, viz., Average no. of fruits/pl (27.75) and enhanced the fruit weight of 298.09 g/fruit which is about 8.27 kg of yield/pl. in the best treatment T9. The average fruit weight (179.81 g/fruit) and yield (2.17 kg/pl.) is very low in unprimed control. From the above experiment, it was clearly shown that microbial seed priming has a definite impact/influence of enhanced growth and yield in cucumber.