OSMOCONDITIONING SEEDS OF FOUR CROP SPECIES USING BOTANICAL EXTRACTS

MACWINNER YAWMAN* AND DANILO P. PADUA

Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines
Email address: win.yawman@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
Corn, peanut, millet and field bean seeds were subjected to osmoconditioning using extracts of
moringa(Moringa oleifera), papaya (Carica papaya), golden bush(Haplopapus linearifolius), mushroom
and coconut(Cocos nucifera) water. The osmoconditioned seeds of corn, millet and peanut germinated 1-2
days earlier than the counterpart seeds conditioned only with water. With respect to the different parameters
measured, the extracts seem to have varying but specific effects on certain crop seeds. The root dry matter
yield in field bean was enhanced by all the extracts. Coconut water and papaya extracts produced longer
shoots only in field bean and peanut respectively. On the dry matter of seedlings, only coconut water,
papaya and moringa tend to increase it. All the botanical extracts however, greatly enhanced the seedling
vigor in corn peanut and millet. The extracts, specially, papaya and coconut water, have also shown a
possible natural fungicidal effect as they prevented or at least reduced rotting of roots in seedlings of all the
test crops. It seems prudent to have laboratory tests to determine the chemical content of the extracts used
that is responsible for the positive effect of osmoconditioning seeds.
Keywords: Osmoconditioning, botanical extracts, seed germination

INTRODUCTION
One of the most important problems facing farmers in developing countries is the heterogeneity
and lack of suitable condition in soil that causes decrease in germination percent, heterogeneous emergence,
unbalanced seedling growth and competition for environmental resources such as light, nutrients and water.
Subsequently, this makes a difference in biomass and performance of species of crops.
One of the methods that can overcome the problem is seed pre-planting treatments like
osmoconditioning. Seed osmoconditioning is pre-sowing imbibition treatment which is widely used to
enhance seed performance with respect to rate and uniformity of germination (Heydecker et al. 1973). This
treatment is based upon controlled hydration of the seeds; during priming, seeds are brought up to, and
eventually held at the end of phase II of water uptake of the germination process without entering the initial
growth phase characterized by radicle protrusion through the seed coat. Since most embryos of seeds are
desiccation tolerant up to this developmental stage, the advancement of the seeds in the germination process
during osmoconditioning can be arrested by drying.
Optimum crop stand establishment is considered to be important for the efficient use of resources
like water and light. In the rain fed semi-arid tropics, however, the balance between water supply and
demand is critical and more conservative crop densities are often required (Jones, 1987). Nevertheless,
uniform stand establishment is still a requirement for cropping success because, under adverse conditions,
crowding should be avoided in order to allow each plant maximum access to limited soil water.
Good crop establishment is especially difficult in marginal, rain-fed environments where many poor
farmers live. The effects of which often manifest as sparse stands of stressed seedlings. Such stands seldom
recover and can never fulfil their genetic potential.
Good germination and emergence is the key to controlling stand establishment. Similarly, vigorous
early growth is often associated with better yields ( Carter et al. 1992). In general, healthy plants with welldeveloped root systems can withstand adverse conditions better than plants whose development and growth
have been interrupted at an early stage.
Seed osmoconditioning is a generic technology that addresses a fundamental requirement for crop
production - the need to have a field full of vigorous plants. Thus it can be incorporated with almost any
other technology or process that can be used to improve crop performance. Heydecker and associates
developed the priming system and used the term osmoconditioning for osmotic priming and related
procedures.
2

According to Bradford et al. 1990) on-farm seed osmoconditioning is a simple, proven technology
that has been developed, tested, and refined in laboratories, in experimental plots, and by farmers
themselves in their fields. It's easy to use with a wide range of crops in many different farming conditions.
Osmoconditioning seeds of six cultivars of finger millet with water for 8hr in eastern India resulted
in taller, earlier-maturing plants that produced more yield than plants from non-primed seed in two onstation trials in 2000 and 2001.
According to Donaldson et al. (2001) higher yields of crops per unit area as a result of
osmoconditioning seeds reduced pressure on more marginal land. Increased straw production can reduce
pressure on natural environments for feeding livestock.
The central objective of this study to determine the effect of extracts of mushroom, moringa,
papaya, golden bush and coconut water on germination, vigor, crop establishment and early growth of
maize, peanut, millet and field bean.
The experiment was conducted at the Benguet State University, La Trinidad Benguet Philippines
from July, 2010 to November 2010.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The botanical extracts used for the experiment are the following: Papaya extracts (Carica papaya),
Moringa Extract (Moringa olefeira), Coconut Water ( Cocos nucifera), Golden Bush Extract ( Haplopapus
linearifolius), and Oyster Mushroom Extract (Pleurotus ostreatus). They were obtained from the Benguet
State University campus and surrounding community.
Good quality seeds of corn (Zea mays), peanut (Arachis hypogaea), millet (Pennisetum glaucum),
and field bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) were used as test crops in this experiment. They were bought form
certified seed sellers from the municipality of La Trinidad.
Sterilized plastic trays measuring 50cm x 35cm x 15cm were used for the experiment. Oven was
used to dry seedling samples, and electronic balance used to weigh them. The plastic trays were thoroughly
washed with detergent and rinsed with purified water to reduce the incidence of microorganisms.
Botanical extracts of papaya, moringa, mushroom, golden bush, and Coconut water were used to
osmocondition the seeds. These botanicals are rich in growth hormones and vitamins and have the tendency
to enhance growth and repairs in plants ( Sampson W 2005 ).
The botanicals were initially washed in running water, then with purified water. They were kept in
shade for air-drying for 12hrs, and then oven dried at 40C for 48hrs to gain constant weight. Powdered
samples were prepared by pulverizing the dried leaves using wiley mill as described by Chivasa, et al
(2000b).
The ground samples were passed through a 25-mesh sieve to obtain a fine and uniform powder. One
hundred (100g) sample of each powdered botanical extract was placed in 500 ml beaker and mixed
separately with 110ml of water to give 90% solution. The mixtures were stirred for 15 minutes with stirrer
and left to stand for next 24 hours. They were filtered through a filter paper (Ederol 610mm X 610mm).
Same volume of plant extracts was used for osmoconditioning all the seeds of the test crops.
The fresh coconut water was collected on the day of the experiment. Two hundred (200) ml of fresh
coconut water was diluted with 220ml of purified water to give 90% solution. Seeds were fully immersed in
osmoconditioning media at room temperature for 8hrs before planting.
Sterilized sandy soil soil was used for the experiment. They were filled with sterilized sandy soil up
to 2cm to the brim. The osmoconditioned seeds were sown in plastic trays at one seed per hill at a distance of
3cm between hills by 5cm between rows. There were 54 seeds per replication or per tray. Three trays were
planted per extract per replication. Watering was done as needed.
4

Seeds of maize, peanut and field bean were planted at a depth 2.0cm in the soil, and 1cm depth for
millet. Seeds were considered germinated when the plumule emerged from the soil. Germination progress
was monitored at 12hr interval for 10days.
The experiment was carried out for a duration of 10 weeks. The experiment was laid out in a
Completely Randomized Design with three replications. The following treatments were used for
osmoconditioning each test crop.
T0 = distilled water
T1 = Oyster mushroom extract
T2 = Moringa extract
T3 = Papaya extract
T4 = Golden bush extract
T5= Coconut water
All quantitative data were analyzed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for Completely
Randomized Design. The significance of differences among treatments were tested using the Duncans
Multiple Range Test.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Seeds osmoconditioned with botanical extracts germinated 1-2 days earlier than seeds
osmoconditioned with water (Table 1,2&3; figure 1,2&3). Faster emergence of seeds treated with botanical
extracts could be attributed to metabolic repair processes, a build up of germination metabolites or osmotic
adjustments during osmoconditioning. This has the tendency to enhance faster germination. In sorghum,
Harris (1996) found priming conditions had a large influence on emergence and seedling vigor that
germination was an important determinant of successful seedling establishment.

Table 1: Effect of osmoconditioning with distilled water (T0), mushroom (T1), moringa (T2), papaya (T3), golden
bush (T4), coconut water (T5) on corn
No. of days
Days
to
Shoot
Root
Shoot
Root
%
% root
Seed vigor
to
50%
Length
Length
Dry
Dry
normal
rot
Treatgermination
germination
matter
matter
seedlings
infection
ments
yield
yield
T0
7a
8a
53.34c
20.78bc
1.55c
4.10b
95.00d
5.67a
2.85
b
ab
e
bc
b
c
c
T1
5
8
48.07
21.74
1.97
3.80
97.00
1.33c
3.05
T2
5b
7bc
51.88d
28.47a
2.23a
4.55a
96.67b
2.00bc
3.22
T3
5b
8abc
54.23b
23.74b
2.41a
4.53a
97.00c
1.00c
3.32
T4
5b
7c
50.27d
24.78b
1.87b
3.33d
97.67a
3.00b
3.49
T5
5b
7c
57.78a
18.14c
2.26a
4.60a
97.33a
1.00c
3.55
CV%
0.0
46.29
5.18
10.83
6.98
15.55
35.50
33.50
11.85
Means with same letters are not significantly different at 5% level of significance, DMRT

In figure 2&3, peanut and millet osmoconditioned seeds germinated a day earlier . This findings
agree with Rowse et al. (1995) who reported faster emergence of osmoconditioned seeds. Observed
improvements in emergence of osmoconditioned seeds may be attributed to the extracts that induces
quantitative changes in biochemical content of the seed and improves membrane integrity and enhances
physiological activities at seed germination. These results are also in confirmation with that of Haigh and
Barlow (1987), who found that seed priming was beneficial in reducing the days to emergence of seeds of
several species. Gray et al. (1984) concluded that osmopriming of a slowly germinating stock improved the
percentage seedling emergence compared with un-treated seeds.

120
100

fig 1: parameters as affected by botanical extacts of papaya, coconut water and distilled water corn
T0= DIistilled water, T3= papaya extracts, T5 = Coconut water
d c a

80
c b a

60
40
20

T0
T3

bc b c
a b b

a abc c

c a a

b a a

T5
c c

0
No. of days Days to 50% Shoot Length Root Length Shoot Dry
Root Dry
to
germination
matter yield matter yield
germination

% normal
seedlings

% root rot
infection

Seed vigor

Means with same letters are not significantly different at 5% level of significance, DMRT
Parameters = Number of days to germination, days to 50% germination, shoot length ,root length , shoot
dry matter yield , root dry matter yield , percent normal seedlings, percent root rot infection, seedling vigor

It is generally accepted that repair of seeds deterioted by lipid peroxidation occurs during hydration,
mainly via production of antioxidants and repair enzymes (www.wikipedia.com). In corn, peanut, and
millet, all the extracts were found to enhance 50% germination by 1-2 days (figure 1,2&3). In agreement
with these findings, several other reports showed improved and early seedling emergence in sorghum,
millet, cotton, beans and maize as a result of osmoconditioning (Khan et al. 1992).
In corn, coconut water was observed to have the greatest effect in enhancing shoot development
(figure 1). The control had the shortest shoots (62.79cm), but did not markedly differ from of the moringa
extract. This is in conformity with Radford B. J. (1983) that osmoconditioning of chickpea seeds for 8, 16
and 24 hours enhanced seedling vegetative growth. Similar to this, it was reported later that presoaking
seeds before sowing slightly enhanced vegetative crop growth. This finding corroborates the positive effects
of osmoconditioning on emergence and crop growth as reported in previous studies.

Table 2: Effect of osmoconditioning with distilled water (T0), mushroom (T1), moringa (T2), papaya (T3), golden
bush (T4), coconut water (T5) on peanut
No. of days
Days to 50%
Shoot
Root
Shoot
Root
%
% Root
Seedlin
Treatto
germination
Length
Length
Dry
Dry
normal
rot
g vigor
Ments
germination
matter
matter
seedlings
infection
yield
yield
T0
8a
10a
34.57cd
16.42c
4.30b
1.70
96.67b
8.00a
4.64a
b
b
d
b
a
a
c
T1
7
8
31.57
18.31
4.82
1.80
98.33
2.33
5.26ab
b
b
bc
cd
a
a
c
T2
7
9
37.55
15.55
4.72
1.80
98.67
2.00
4.81ab
b
ab
ab
d
a
a
c
T3
7
9
40.52
15.21
4.76
1.60
98.00
1.67
5.23ab
b
ab
bcd
a
b
b
b
T4
7
9
36.19
19.49
4.14
1.60
97.67
4.33
5.00c
b
ab
a
a
a
a
c
T5
7
9
43.81
19.57
4.77
1.60
99.00
2.33
5.19b
C.V.
3.32
6.37
7.75
3.43
2.71
14.57
48.48
39.90
5.19

Means with same letters are not significantly different at 5% level of significance, DMRT

Coconut water was observed to enhance the longest shoots in millet (figure 3). In contrast,
mushroom, moringa and golden bush extracts appear to have a depression effect. Coconut water seem to
contain substances that could promote faster growth of seedlings. Rapid emergence of seedlings has also
been mentioned to lead to the production of vigorous plants (Chiu & Sung 2002). The efficiency of seed
osmo-priming for better seedling emergence and vegetative growth is reported in barley and chickpea
(Ghassemi-Golezani et al. 2008b).
Coconut water enhanced the longest shoots in peanut (Table 2) which was remarkably longer than
the other extracts except papaya.
fig 2: parameters as affected by botanical extacts of papaya, coconut water and distilled water in peanut
T0= DIistilled water, T3= papaya extracts, T5 = Coconut b
watera a

120
100
80
60

cd

40
20

ab

a
c

ab ab

a
a

ab b

0
No. of days Days to 50%
to
germination
germination

Shoot
Length

Root Length Shoot Dry Root Dry

% normal
matter yield matter yield seedlings

% Root rot
infection

Seedling
vigor

Means with same letters are not significantly different at 5% level of significance, DMRT
Parameters = Number of days to germination, days to 50% germination, shoot length ,root length , shoot dry matter yield , root
dry matter yield , percent normal seedlings, percent root rot infection, seedling vigor

The higher values of osmoconditioned seeds may be due to early and improved emergence that
ultimately resulted in better roots and shoots development. Similar arguments were made by Sharma et al.
(1993) who attributed good length of roots and shoots to early emergence of seeds. Its further reported that
osmoconditioned crops produced better shoots and roots than non osmoconditioned crops. These results are
also in conformity with Rao & Singh, (1997) who reported that seed priming increased vegetative growth.
The effect of coconut water on peanut shoot length is similar to that of millet.
The effect of moringa on root length was very evident in corn (Table 1). Beneficial effects of
osmoconditioning on vegetative growth were reported in wheat and rice (Farooq et al. 2006).
The dry matter yield of roots of millet seedlings was substantially greater when osmoconditioned
with coconut water and moringa extract (figure 3). Brocklehurst et al. (1984) found that earlier emergence
after priming gave rise to higher mean plant weights ten weeks after sowing. In contrary, its reported that
seed soaking with 20 ppm GA3 significantly reduced the stem dry weight, and whole-plant dry weight.
Table 3: Effect of osmoconditioning with distilled water (T0), mushroom (T1), moringa (T2), papaya (T3), golden
bush (T4), coconut water (T5) on millet
No. of days
Days
to
Shoot
Root
Shoot
Root
% normal
% root
Seedling
to
50%
Length
Length
Dry
Dry
seedlings
rot
vigor
Treatments
germination
germination
matter
matter
infection
yield
yield
T0
6a
7
21.71b
4.90c
0.03a
0.16c
94.00b
8.33a
5.28ab
c
b
a
bc
a
b
T1
5b
7
15.61
6.67
0.03
0.19
95.33
6.00
5.46a
c
bc
b
a
a
b
T2
5b
6
15.36
5.95
0.02
0.23
95.00
5.67
5.38a
b
a
b
bc
a
c
T3
5b
6
21.53
8.79
0.02
0.22
95.33
4.67
5.53a
c
b
a
c
a
b
T4
5b
6
16.82
6.18
0.03
0.18
95.33
6.33
4.99b
a
bc
a
a
a
cd
T5
5b
6
25.23
5.69
0.03
0.23
95.67
3.67
5.53a
C.V.
4.61
9.60
8.78
9.80
15.10
7.62
22.61
21.97
5.53
Means with same letters are not significantly different at 5% level of significance, DMRT

All the botanical extracts did not differ significantly on the root dry matter yield of field bean (figure
4), but were found to be higher, indicating that the plant extracts used were very effective for
osmoconditioning. In a study, Moon & Soon (2004) reported that priming reduced time to 50% emergence
and increased plumule weight.
Papaya extract, coconut water, and moringa proved to be superior in enhancing dry matter yield of
shoot of corn seedling (Table 1).
These results are also in line with those reported by Basra et al. (2003) who recorded heavier grains
and greater amount of dry matter for primed seeds and dry matter weight. They endorse the findings of
Rashid et al. (2002) who reported that plant extract significantly increased total biomass when compared
9

with unprimed seeds. In peanut higher dry matter yield of seedling were obtained from mushroom,
moringa, papaya, and coconut water ( Figure 2). Beneficial effects of hydro-priming on grain yield were
reported in wheat earlier.
Papaya gave the highest dry matter yield of shoots of field bean seedling (2.85g) followed by
moringa (2.70g) while control had the least effect on dry matter yield of field bean seedling (Table 4). This
indicates that all the extracts used could be useful in improving the dry matter yield of field bean seedling.
The results agree with the findings of Basra et al. (2003).
120

fig 3: parameters as affected by botanical extacts of papaya, coconut water and distilled water in millet
T0= DIistilled water, T3= papaya extracts, T5 = Coconut water

b a a

100
80

T0

60

T3

40
20

b b a
a b b

c a bc

7 6 6

a b a

c bc a

a c cd

T5
ab a a

% root rot
infection

Seedling
vigor

0
No. of days Days to 50%
to
germination
germination

Shoot
Length

Root Length Shoot Dry

Root Dry
% normal
matter yield matter yield seedlings

Means with same letters are not significantly different at 5% level of significance, DMRT
Parameters = Number of days to germination, days to 50% germination, shoot length ,root length , shoot dry matter yield , root
dry matter yield , percent normal seedlings, percent root rot infection, seedling vigor

A normal seedling will have all of the essential structures present for normal growth, often some
structures may be slow to develop or they may be missing as well (www.wikipedia.com).
The control was observed to have the lowest percentage normality with seedlings. In field bean,
coconut water, papaya and moringa enhanced the highest percentage of normal seedlings (Figure 4). It was
reported that the type and severity of seed abnormality may be dependent on the type and pathogenic
potential of the associated fungi as well as the prevailing weather conditions.
It was very evident in (Table1,2,3&4) that the control had the highest root rot incidence (5.67%), and
was significantly different from mushroom, moringa, papaya, golden bush, and coconut water extracts.
The highest root rot incidence was observed on the control (8%). Obviously, significant difference
was found between the control and the effect of mushroom, moringa, papaya, golden bush extracts and
coconut water . All the botanical extracts used probably contain chemicals that could be isolated and used to
10

control diseases in peanut (figure 2). In relation to this, it is reported that seed priming in chickpea
significantly reduced the damage caused by collar rot (Sclerotium rolfsii) in Bangladesh in two contrasting
seasons. Rashid et al. (2004b) also observed similar differences in MYMV infection in other mungbean
priming trials.
Table 4: Effect of osmoconditioning with distilled water (T0), mushroom (T1), moringa (T2), papaya (T3), golden
bush (T4), coconut water (T5) on field bean
No. of days
Days
to
Shoot
Root
Shoot
Root
%
% Root
Seedling
to
50%
Length
Length
Dry
Dry
Normal
rot
vigor
Treatment
germination
germination
matter
matter
seedlings
infection
yield
yield
T0
8
8
62.79c
15.28b
2.07e
1.63b
96.33b
11.33a
5.25a
a
b
d
a
b
c
T1
8
8
80.68
14.86
2.34
2.40
96.33
4.67
4.25ab
bc
b
ab
a
a
c
T2
8
8
66.28
14.46
2.70
2.37
98.33
4.67
4.75ab
a
a
a
a
a
c
T3
8
8
85.53
18.23
2.85
2.53
98.67
5.00
4.71ab
b
a
cd
a
c
b
T4
9
9
71.64
17.68
2.48
2.67
95.67
7.67
2.71c
b
a
bc
a
b
c
T5
8
8
72.70
17.58
2.58
2.43
95.67
4.33
3.86b
C.V.
13.03
15.23
7.80
6.32
4.30
3.95
37.50
21.24
30.85
Means with same letters are not significantly different at 5% level of significance, DMRT

Coconut water was observed to have the least disease infection of 3.67% in millet seedlings (Table
3). The control was found to have the highest incidence of disease infection (8.33%). Invasion of seed by
fungi may also result in biochemical deterioration and change in quality of nutrients. The root rot of
seedlings produced by Fusarium spp has also been reported by Ellis (1981). All botanical extracts also
appear effective in controlling some seedling diseases of millet (Figure 3).
Like in corn, peanut and millet, the botanical extracts seem effective reducing the occurrence of
seedling diseases in field bean (Figure 4). Coconut water, papaya, moringa, and mushroom extracts had the
least incidence of Fusarium spp disease.
There was no significant difference among the seedling vigor in peanut among mushroom, papaya
and coconut water. However they were found to have the highest vigor levels. The control was observed to
have the least seeding vigor, but not significantly different from the effect of moringa and golden bush
extract (Figure 1,2,3&4). Osmoconditioning presumably allowed some repairs of damage to membrane
caused by deterioration. It has been reported that primed seeds showed better germination pattern and higher
vigor level than non- primed. Many workers have attempted to increase the seed germination capacity and
vigor by using different priming extracts in various field crops (Brocklehurst & Dearman, 1983. On the
other hand its reported that none of the seed-priming extracts showed beneficial effects on grain yield of
corn; some positive effects of seed priming on seedling vigor and stand establishment.
11

The results suggest that millet seedling vigor can be enhanced to some extent when treated with
different botanical extracts. Primed seeds had higher vigor levels, which resulted in earlier start of
emergence (Basra et al. 2002). Positive correlation between seed vigor and field performance had also been
found in rice.
Osmoconditioning resulted in enhanced seedling vigor, as indicated by high energy of emergence
and emergence percentage. It has been verified that priming increased germination performance of low
vigor seeds. For lettuce, Perkins-Veazie & Cantliffe (1984) observed beneficial effects of priming only for
non-aged seeds. In addition, high seed vigor is necessary for tolerance to environmental stress. The
improvement in germination performance resulting from osmoconditioning extracts has also been suggested
as a result of repair mechanisms that occur during soaking (Burgass & Powell, 1984); the seeds during the
maturation process and/or during storage deteriorate and need repair during imbibition in order to
germinate. Thus, aged (more deteriorated) seeds could benefit more from osmoconditioning extracts.

12

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Conclusion
Botanical extracts of mushroom, moringa, papaya, and golden bush were able to enhance
germination of corn, peanut, millet and golden bush 1-2 earlier than the control.
Shoot length of millet, peanut, and corn was greatly enhanced by coconut water; peanut was
enhanced by mushroom, papaya and moringa extracts.
For root length enhancement in corn, moringa extract was the most appropriate. Coconut water and
golden bush extracts were ideal for better root development in peanut; for millet and field bean, papaya
extract was promising.
For dry matter yield of roots in corn and millet, coconut water, moringa and papaya extracts gave
higher yield. The botanical extracts did not have effect on the root dry matter yield of peanut. In field bean,
coconut water, mushroom, moringa, papaya, and golden bush extracts could all be used to enhance root dry
matter yield.
Root rot in corn seedlings could be reduced by osmoconditioning seeds with extracts of papaya,
moringa or coconut water. In peanut, it could be reduced by osmoconditioning with coconut water, papaya,
moringa, or mushroom extract. Coconut water and papaya extract were ideal for millet, and any of the
extracts mentioned above could equally reduce root rot in field bean.
The botanical extracts had no significant effect on seedling vigor in corn and field bean but in peanut
higher seedling vigor could be achieved by coconut water, papaya or mushroom osmoconditioning. In
millet, coconut water, papaya, moringa or coconut extract is ideal.
Recommendations
Coconut water and papaya, moringa and mushroom extract are recommended for enhancing
germination in corn, peanut, millet, and field bean.
Coconut water, papaya and moringa extracts are recommended for better root and shoot
development as well a higher dry matter yield in corn, peanut and millet.
Mushroom, papaya and coconut water are recommended for the reduction of root rot in corn,
peanut, millet and field bean seedlings.
It is recommended that further studies be conducted in the future to determine the chemical
composition of these botanical extracts.

13

LITERATURE CITED
BASRA, S.M.A., M. FAROOQ AND A. KHALIQ, 2003. Comparative study of presowing seed
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