Influence of Seed Size on Seedling Emergence, Growth and Yield of Potted Groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.)

Abstract

Pot experiments were conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Kogi State in the Southern Guinea savannah ecological zone of Nigeria to evaluate the influence of seed size on plant performance with reference to seedling emergence, seedling growth, development and yield components and yield of groundnut (Arachis hypogea). The treatment consisted of three different seed sizes: small, medium and large seeds apportioned to a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with ten replications. For seed size, the seeds were initially graded into small, medium and large seeds based on visual assessment for length and diameter and from each group 100-seed weight was determined thus 100-seed weight became the parameter for measuring seed size as used in this experiment. The analyzed data showed no significant effect of seed size on groundnut canopy height, leaf number, leaf area, stem girth, days to first flower, number of pods / plant, pod weight, and shelling percentage, but significantly influenced mean days to seedling emergence, days to 50 percent flowering, 100-seed weight and taproot length. The significant effect of seed size on days to seedling emergence, days to 50 percent flowering, 100-seed weight and taproot length could significantly influence farmers’ opinion in the choice of seeds used in planting a field; as this could determine crop maturity, grain yield/ha while length of tap root could affect depth of root forage for nutrients and water, thus crop survival. Despite the non-significant effect of the treatment (seed size) on most parameters investigated, generally crop performance increased with seed size and vice versa, thus sowing of larger seeds is recommended for better groundnut performance.