EMERGENCE AND GROWTH-CHARACTERISTICS OF SORGHUM AND PEARL-MILLET INTERCROPPED WITH FRENCH BEANS AFTER PEG-BASED SEED PRIMING UNDER GREENHOUSE AND PHYTOTRON CONDITIONS

In order to study the performance of primed sorghum and millet seeds u nder intercropped or monocropped planting systems, and to investigate the possibilities of enhancing the osmotic effects of polyethylene gly col (PEG) with salt or growth regulator additives, two experiments wer e conducted in the greenhouse and phytotron. Intercropping primed seed s with Phaseolus vulgaris L. did not affect germination percentage but reduced germination speed as compared to primed, monocropped seeds. T his was ascribed to effects of competition for water and to seed size. Neither priming treatment nor cropping system affected seedling growt h in the genotypes studied. Priming treatments with PEG and other addi tives increased the speed of germination. The PEG and PEG + Sucrose tr eatments yielded the highest germination percentages, and PEG + GA(3) the highest germination speed. Mixing PEG with NaCl or ascorbic acid y ielded lower germination percentages and longer germination periods.