International Journal of Horticulture, 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 312-322 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 320 5 Conclusion Priming seeds of okra with various treatments stand out as an effective solution to counter the challenges of diminished and delayed germination observed in fresh or stored seeds as it is covered with a hard seed coat. Seed priming serves as an effective method to enhance the percentage and speed of germination, promote seedling development and reduce mean germination time. Priming seeds before planting significantly supports the growth, development and eventual yield of the plant. The results of priming okra seeds with various treatments on germination and seedling vigor showed that botanical priming outperformed all the other treatments. However, hydro priming (pre-soaked in water) demonstrated promising results and could serve as a viable alternative to botanical priming. More investigation is required to fully understand how seed priming affects the physical characteristics and crop yield of okra. Acknowledgement The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Department of Agronomy, College of Natural Resource Management, Bardibas (AFU) for providing the resources and for all assistance and guidance during the research. Also, we are deeply thankful to our advisor Assistant Professor Abishek Shrestha (Department of Agronomy) and Assistant Professor Bishal Shrestha (Department of Horticulture) for his invaluable guidance, insightful feedback, and unwavering support throughout the entire research process. Authors’ contributions DK conceived the research framework, conducted the data analysis, performed the statistical interpretation and contributed to drafting the manuscript. NB contributed to the literature review, manuscript drafting, data collection, interpretation of results and treatment preparation. AK assisted in data collection, initial data entry and treatment preparation. AS assisted in data visualization and manuscript editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Bajehbaj A.A., 2010, The effects of NaCl priming on salt tolerance in sunflower germination and seedling grown under salinity conditions, African Journal of Biotechnology, 9(12): 12. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajb.v9i12 Basra S., Ullah E., Waraich E., Cheema M., and Afzal I., 2003, Effect of storage on growth and yield of primed canola (Brassica napus) seeds, International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, 5. Cantliffe D.J., 2003, Seed enhancements, Acta Horticulturae, 607: 53-59. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.607.5 Chiranjeevi M.R., Manjunatha B.M., Shivakumar M.K., Van S., and Hagal G., 2017, Effect of growth regulators and biofertilizers on germination and seedling growth of Aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn), International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 6: 1320-1326. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.612.149 Dhankhar D.S. and Singh M., 1996, Seed germination and seedling growth in Aonla (Phyllanthus emblica Linn.) as influenced by gibberellic acid and thiourea, Crop Research (Hisar), 12(3): 3. Dubey S.C., Suresh M., and Singh B., 2007, Evaluation of Trichoderma species against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Ciceris for integrated management of chickpea wilt, Biological Control, 40(1): 118-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2006.06.006 Farinde A.J., 2007, An overview of production, processing, marketing and utilisation of okra in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria, Cornell University eCommons Repository. Gairola K.C., Nautiyal A.R., and Dwivedi A.K., 2011, Effect of temperatures and germination media on seed germination of Jatropha curcas Linn., Advances in Bioresearch, 2(2): 66-71. Galappaththi M.O., Jayasuriya K.M.G.G., and Arachchige N.S.G., 2022, Effect of priming with neem seed extract on seeds of four traditional rice varieties of Sri Lanka: Kaluheenati, Kurulurthuda, Madathawalu and Maa-wee, Journal of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, 49(4): 10336. https://doi.org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v49i4.10336 Gallardo K., Job C., Groot S.P.C., Puype M., Demol H., Vandekerckhove J., and Job D., 2001, Proteomic analysis of Arabidopsis seed germination and priming, Plant Physiology, 126(2): 835-848. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.126.2.835
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