Increasing the pepper seed quality using mycorrhizal fungi

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of the year of cultivation, seed population and mycorrhizal seed treatment on two most important indicators of the pepper seed quality, namely germination energy and total germination. The pepper seed quality parameters, i.e. the first count and the total germination rate, were examined in the period 2017-2018. The results obtained show significant differences (p < 0.01) between the parameter values under consideration relative to the year of cultivation (Factor A), seed population (Factor B) and mycorrhizal sees treatment (Factor C). In the first experimental year, there was an increase in the first count and total germination of 4 to 6 % compared to the control when pepper seeds were treated with the mycorrhizal formulation. In the second experimental year, an increase in the first count was in the range of 3 to 16 %, whereas an increase in the total germination was 3 to 4 %, compared to the control. The effect of mycorrhizal pepper seed treatment proved beneficial especially to aged seeds that were slow to germinate.