Effect of fruit maturity stage and hydropriming on seed quality of two cultivars of 'Gboma' eggplant (Solanum macrocarpon L.)

Abstract

This experiment was undertaken at the laboratory of the Department of Crop Production, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria to determine the effect of hydropriming on the germination of fresh and aged seeds of two Solanum macrocarpon cultivars (FUTMSm-1 and FUTMSm-2) extracted from fruits harvested at different maturity stages (brown and dry-BD, brown and fleshy-BF, yellow-Y and yellowish green-YG). The seeds were stored in screw cap plastic bottles for 14 weeks at ambient temperature of ca 29 °C and 60% relative humidity. Germination tests were conducted on the seed lots at two weekly intervals throughout the storage period with and without hydropriming for 24 hours. Seed quality of the different lots was indexed using germination percentages (GP) and germination index (GI). The results revealed that variation existed in the seed quality of the two Solanum macrocarpon cultivars, stages of fruit maturity at harvest and response to hydropriming. Gl which is an estimation of combination of germination percentage and speed showed that FUTMSm-2 was significantly higher in quality than FUTMSm-1; seeds extracted from BD fruits were significantly greater than those of other fruit colours and hydropriming significantly enhanced seed quality compared to the non-hydroprimed seed lots.