Effect of molybdenum trioxide nanoparticle-mediated seed priming on the productivity of green gram (Vigna radiata L.)

A field experiment was undertaken in the post-Rabi season of 2019-2020 to reveal the response of greengram (Vigna radiata L.) to seed dressing and seed priming with nano molybdenum trioxide (MoO3). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) consisting of 10 different treatments i.e., M0 (no seed treatment with Mo); M1 (seed dressing with Sodium molybdate @ 400 ppm); M2, M3, M4, and M5 (seed dressing with nano Molybdenum trioxide-MoO3 @ 50, 100, 200 and 400 ppm, respectively); and M6, M7, M8 and M9 (seed priming with nano MoO3 @ 50, 100, 200 and 400 ppm, respectively). Inoculation of greengram seeds cv. Shreya (IPM 2-14) with Rhizobium sps. was undertaken in all treatments as per the recommended practice, except in M0 (control). The MoO3 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized from Ammonium molybdate through calcination at 600 0C for 5 hours indicated globular-shaped NPs of 68.55 nm in TEM and XRD. Nanopriming with MoO3 @ 200 ppm (M8) was most promising in recording significantly superior growth and yield attributing parameters and yield, whereas Mo (control) produced the least. Crop height, number of branches, root length, shoot dry matter, pods/plant and seeds/plant and root nodulation at harvest in M8 were 39.4% and 22.6%; 39% and 5.6%; 23% and 9.3%; 43.9%, and 16.3%; 28.2% and 5.3%; 28.1% and 0.8%, and 73.3% and 36.5% higher than M0 (control) and M1 (farmers’ practice), respectively. Superior growth and yield attributing characters in M8 treatment produced the highest grain and stover yield of 0.88 and 3.74 t/ ha that was 32.53% and 8.37%, and 35.5% and 14.7% higher than M0 (control) and M1 (farmers’ practice), respectively. Seed priming with nano MoO3 @ 400 ppm (M9) and seed dressing with nano MoO3 @ 400 ppm (M5) were of second and third order in recording grain and stover yield but M0 recorded the lowest among all the treatments.