Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Seed size as a determinant of germination and seed vigour in onion
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More Sanket Jijabrao, Kawale Bhagyashri, Raskar Yogita, Bhandari Hem Raj, Khade Yogesh P.
Research Article | Published: 07 August, 2026
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Keywords: Onion, Seed size, Germination, Seed vigour index, Seedling growth, Seed quality
Abstract
High quality seed is the foundation of successful onion cultivation, and seed size is an important determinant of germination, seedling establishment, and subsequent crop performance. However, seed grading based on seed size is rarely practiced despite its potential to improve seed quality and early crop establishment. A laboratory experiment was conducted during May–June 2025 using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) to evaluate the effect of three seed size classes (large, mixed, and small) on germination percentage, seedling length, and seed vigour index (SVI) in the onion cultivar Bhima Shakti. Each treatment consisted of 10 replications of 50 seeds. Seed size had a highly significant effect (P ≤ 0.001) on all evaluated parameters. Large seeds recorded the highest germination (92.20%), seedling length (9.31 cm), and seed vigour index (8.59), whereas mixed (90.40%, 8.90 cm, and 8.03) and small (89.63%, 8.48 cm, and 7.60) seed classes exhibited comparatively lower values. Within the conditions of the present laboratory study, larger seeds exhibited superior germination, seedling growth, and seed vigour than the smaller seed classes. These findings suggest that seed grading based on seed size may serve as a simple, low-cost, and farmer-friendly strategy for improving seed quality assessment and early crop establishment in onion. However, further validation under field conditions involving multiple onion cultivars is required to determine whether these advantages translate into improved crop growth and bulb productivity.
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Author Information
ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research, Pune, India