Impact of hormonal priming on crop growth, yield and seed quality in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. PKM 1

The present study evaluated the effect of hormonal seed priming on germination, growth, yield and seed quality of tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. PKM 1 under laboratory and field conditions. Eight treatments were tested, including control (unprimed seeds), naphthalene acetic acid (45 ppm), indole-3-acetic acid (100 ppm), gibberellic acid (GA₃, 40 ppm), chlormequat chloride (250 ppm), ascorbic acid (150 ppm), salicylic acid (50 ppm), and 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (20 ppm), arranged in CRD (lab) and RBD (field) designs with three replications. Seeds were primed for 24 h, shade-dried, and evaluated for germination percentage, vigour indices, seedling growth, field emergence, crop growth parameters, yield attributes, and post-harvest seed quality. GA₃ @ 40 ppm (T₃) consistently outperformed other treatments, recording the highest germination (86%), seedling length (18.45 cm), vigour index-I (1590), plant height at 90 DAT (103.34 cm), number of fruits per plant (27), single fruit weight (49.43 g), fruit yield (1242.43 g plant⁻¹), and seed yield (16.56 g plant⁻¹). Salicylic acid @ 50 ppm (T₆) and NAA @ 45 ppm (T₁) also improved several growth and reproductive traits compared to the control. Enhanced seed quality of the resultant produce from GA₃-primed plants included higher germination (86%), seedling vigour, and 1000-seed weight (3.25 g). The findings confirm that hormonal priming, particularly with GA₃, is an effective, low-cost strategy to improve seedling establishment, maximize yield, and enhance seed quality in tomato cv. PKM 1, offering potential for wider adoption in sustainable horticulture.