Vol. 9, Special Issue 11, Part A (2025)

The experiment entitled," Effect of chemicals and bio agents on seed germination, vigour and seedling growth of Custard Apple (Annona squamosa L.) under Net house condition” was carried out at Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Rewa, (M.P.). Custard apple is a widely cultivated fruit species in India, valued for its taste and nutritional content. Originating from the West Indies, it has been extensively cultivated in Central America and Southern Mexico and it belongs to the Annonaceae family. Custard apple is typically propagated by seed. The hard seed coat of custard apple seeds requires 35-50 days for natural germination. To speed up the process, pre-sowing treatments like GA₃, cow urine and dung slurry, potassium nitrate, NAA, thiourea, and HCl or H₂SO₄ are used to break dormancy and promote germination. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design with three replications. The experiment comprised of fifteen treatments consisting of KNO₃ @ 1% and 2%, Thiourea @ 1% and 2%, Cow urine @ 10% and 20%, Cow dung slurry @ 10% and 20%, GA₃ @ 100 and 200 ppm, NAA @ 100 and 200 ppm for 24 hours and HCl and H₂SO₄ @ 0.1 % for 2 minutes. Result indicated that treatment GA₃ @ 200 ppm for 24 hours resulted in early and maximum seed germination (78.26%), increased height, stem diameter, no. of leaves, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of leaves and root, and a seedling vigour. Minimum value was found in control.