~ 142 ~  Volume: 2, Issue: 7, 142-147 July 2015 www.allsubjectjournal.com e-ISSN: 2349-4182 p-ISSN: 2349-5979 Impact Factor: 3.762 H.E.M. Khairul Mazed MS Student, Department of Horticulture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207. Bangladesh. Md. Najmul Haque MS Student, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh. Israt Jahan Irin Ph. D. Student, Department of Agronomy, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207. Bangladesh. Md. Ashraful Islam Pulok MS Student, Seed Technology Discipline, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207. Bangladesh. Abu Habib Md. Abdullah MS Student, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University. Bangladesh Correspondence: H.E.M. Khairul Mazed MS Student, Department of Horticulture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207. Bangladesh. Effect of seed priming on growth, yield and seed quality of chickpea (BARI chhola-6) H.E.M. Khairul Mazed, Md. Najmul Haque, Israt Jahan Irin, Md. Ashraful Islam Pulok and Abu Habib Md. Abdullah Abstract A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy research field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, during the period from November 2013 to March 2014 to study the response of seed priming on growth, yield and seed quality of chickpea. The experiment comprised as one factor: seed priming with gibrallic acid (GA3) - 5 levels: GA3 75 ppm – T1, GA3 150 ppm – T2, GA3 225 ppm – T3, GA3 300 ppm – T4 and hydro-priming – T5. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five replications. The result indicated significant variations in date of emergence, date of first flowering, date of 50% flowering, plant height, number of branches plant -1 , total dry matter, number of pod plant -1 , date to pod maturity, pod length, weight of 1000 seed, grain yield, stover yield, biological yield, harvest index, germination percentage and vigor index due to seed priming. Among the treatment on maximum plant height and dry matter content recorded of plant in T3 irrespective of growing period. This treatment also exhibited maximum number of pods plant -1 , longest pod length and maximum number of seed pod -1 , where as required minimum duration for pod maturity. The maximum weight of 1000 seed, height grain yield, harvest index and also maximum found germination percentage and vigor index were found. When chickpea was primed with 225 ppm GA3 then ensure the best production and seed quality. Keywords: Chickpea, seed priming, GA3, yield and seed quality 1. Introduction Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the major pulses crop in Bangladesh and it is the third most important food legume grown in the world after beans and peas. It is contributes about 3.87 % of total pulses production in Bangladesh (BBS, 2013). The average yield of chickpea is 1.32 t ha -1 butit is very low compared to other countries of the world. Total production of pulse in Bangladesh is 3,35,470 metric tons and total production of chickpea is 12,460 metric ton (BBS, 2013). Domestic pulse production satisfies less than half of the other countries demands. The rest, near about 1,40,000 ton, near to import at a cost of about 32.2 million USD per annum. Chickpea plays an important role the agro-economy and human healthy of Bangladesh. Chickpea contain 20% protein, 4.8% fat, 9.1% crude fibre, 1.37% lysine, 195-205 mg/g carotene, 89 - 94 mg/g Ca and 9.2 - 9.4 mg/g Fe. Also, it is an important crop for both human consumption and animal feed due to 17 - 31% protein in seeds and biological activity of its protein ranges between 52 - 78% (Ciftci, 2004; Khan, 1981; Kaul, 1982). It supplies about four times as much protein and eight times as riboflavin and the caloric value of it is equal to rice (Anonymous, 1966). Moreover, it is known as poor man’s meat. It is a versatile source of nutrients for man, animal and soil (Miah, 1976). Plant growth substances are another factor for growth and development of plant. PGRs comprise a large group of endogenous and exogenous chemical compounds that can regulate plant growth in numerous ways. PGRs have been and are mainly used in modern, high input crop management to shorten straw and thereby increase lodging resistance of chickpea. There are indications that GA3 have potential to modify pulse yield formation and plant stand structure additional to stem elongation. It plays an important role in flowering, pod filling and ripening and also physiochemical changes during storage. The plant growth regulator treatments significantly increased all physiological and yield characters (Meera and Poonam, 2010). Plant growth regulators (PGRs) have potential to increase chickpea yield and may also increase protein levels of legume crops (Ma et al., 1994). Chickpea plants use soil moisture accumulated during winter season to grow and to set seeds in spring. Drought stress resulting from inadequate soil moister has negative effects on International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development