Assessment of Genetic Divergence for Hardseededness with Field Emergence and Storage Duration in Mungbean Genotypes [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]

Hardseededness in legume crops induces uneven germination or non-synchronous seedling emergence leading to poor and un-uniform plant establishment and uneven maturity, which ultimately reduces the seed yield. An experiment was conducted with 51 mungbean genotypes to assess the influence of hard seeds on field emergence and also to know the effect of storage period on the occurrence of hard seeds. The standard germination test was performed with freshly harvested seeds and also with the seeds after 18 months of ambient storage. The results indicated that percent hard seeds varied significantly across the genotypes. The percent hard seeds showed significant negative correlation with percent normal seedlings and field emergence. More interestingly, the average per cent hard seeds decreased to 5.5% in stored seeds from 18.1% in the fresh seeds. A reduction in seed hardness following storage of 18 months under ambient conditions was recorded in the identified hardseeded genotypes indicating the possibility of increased field emergence using stored seeds for sowing.