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

Nano seed priming offers a novel and sustainable approach to enhance seedling performance and crop establishment. In the present laboratory investigation, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were successfully biosynthesized using spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaf extract and subsequently characterized for their particle size and morphology. The average particle diameter was 30.56 nm, Elemental dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX) showed that the elements present in zinc nanoparticles were C (5.16%), O (20.47%), and Zn (74.37%) and the SEM image of zinc nanoparticles exhibited spherical and agglomerated structures. The green synthesized ZnO NPs was evaluated for its influence on seed quality parameters of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) variety JG-11 by seed priming at various concentrations of (0, 10, 50, 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 ppm). A significant enhancement in seed quality was observed, particularly at 250 ppm, which recorded the highest seed germination (99.5%), root length (23.2 cm), shoot length (19.2 cm), seedling dry weight (478 mg), vigour index-I (4279) and vigour index-II (47510). However, at concentrations beyond 250 ppm, a slight decline was noticed, indicating that excess nano zinc may induce mild toxicity or stress to seed metabolism. Overall, the study revealed that the green synthesized ZnO NPs at an optimum concentration (250ppm) can be an effective, less-toxic, and eco-friendly priming technology that can be employed for improving seed vigour of chickpea, and therefore holds a promise for sustainable seed quality enhancement.