Impact of bio-pesticides and storage containers on lentil seed preservation and pre-sowing fungal treatment

Abstract

We conducted a study to determine the most effective method of preserving lentil seeds for future sowing. The experiment involved six different types of storage containers: cotton cloth bags, tin containers, earthen pots, plastic containers, polythene bags, and gunny bags. We also used four plant extracts: Piper betel (Betel leaf), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Allium indica (Garlic), and Swietenia mahagoni (Mahagani). We measured the vigor index and germination percentage at 2, 4, and 6 months after storage, and then documented the fungal connection. In a separate experiment, we conducted a pre-sowing seed treatment using botanicals and biological agents such as garlic (5% w/v aqueous solution), datura (5% w/v aqueous solution), mehogoni leaf extract (5% w/v aqueous solution), mehogoni seed extract (5% w/v aqueous solution), and fern leaf extract (5% w/v aqueous solution). We treated the seeds with various substances to suppress seed-borne fungi, including ash coating (10 g kg-1 seed), fresh cow dung coating, a solution of cow urine (5% v/v water), Provax-200 (2 g kg-1 seed), and an untreated control group. In terms of germination, vigor index, and seed infection, the lentil seeds stored in a polythene bag with neem leaf extract significantly outperformed the other treatments. We found that the durability of lentil seeds significantly decreased as the storage time increased. The seed treatment fungicide Provax-200 had a significant impact on lowering the presence of fungus (by 87.41%) and boosting the germination percentage (by 39.49%) of lentil seeds.