Improving Quality and Storage Life of Watermelon, Capsicum and Okra Seeds by Polymer and Fungicide Film Coating

Seed-film coating is a process of applying useful materials to form a continuous layer of thin coating over the seed. An experiment was conducted to study the efficacy of seed-film coating on improving seed quality, storability and the effectiveness of the control of seedborne pathogens and seed contaminants. A thin film coat containing a combination of a film coating liquid (a readymade liquid including a polymer and colorants) + distilled water + Thiram 80% WP was applied on watermelon, capsicum and okra seeds from selected lots. Five different seed-film coating formulations were tested with a non-coated control for each seed lot. Seed quality parameters namely germination percentage, seed moisture percentage, seed health status and seedling vigour were evaluated just after film coating 4 and 11 months after storage using standard protocols. All seed coating formulations tested showed a significant positive effect on the control of seed-contaminating fungi, increasing germination percentage and enhancing seedling vigour compared to noncoated control while no significant difference (P>0.05) was observed among different seed coating formulations on each tested seed lot. Therefore, seed-film coating formulations including 10 g of film coating liquid + 50 mL of distilled water + 0.5 g of Thiram for 1 kg of watermelon seeds, 25 g of film coating liquid + 90 mL of distilled water + 0.5 g of Thiram for 1 kg of Capsicum seeds and 4 g of film coating liquid + 14 mL of distilled water + 0.5g of Thiram for 1 kg of Okra seeds are recommended as effective seed-film coatings for improving seed quality and enhancing storage life.