Zinc nanoparticles seed treatment was given to the bittergourd seeds (cv. Solan Hara) in the form of seed priming and seed coating. The experiment was conducted in open field conditions with Randomized Block Design having fourteen treatments replicated three times at the research farm of Department of Seed Science and Technology, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (Himachal Pradesh) during 2022-2023. Out of the 14 treatments, 9 treatments comprised of seed priming with zinc nanoparticles @ 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 150 ppm for 12, 24 and 48 hours, 3 treatments comprised of seed coating with zinc nanoparticles @ 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 150 ppm, 1 treatment comprised of seed soaking in water for 36 hrs in addition to control. Based on present investigation, seed priming with ZnO NPs @ 150 ppm for 24 hrs was found to be superior over all other treatments in terms of days to 50% emergence (10.33 days), days to first picking (80.33 days), harvest duration (28 days), fruit length (17.11 cm), fruit diameter (4.48cm), number of seeds per fruit (24.18), number of seeds per plant (330.33), seed yield per plot (293.97 g) and 100 seed weight (17.20 g)

Nanotechnology, seed priming, seed coating, ZnO, seed quality, germination, vigour

From the present study, it is concluded that seed priming with ZnO NPs @ 150 ppm for 24 hrs produced better results with regard to seed quality parameters i.e., days to 50% emergence, days to first picking, harvest duration, fruit length, fruit diameter, number of seeds per fruit, number of seeds per plant, seed yield per plot and 100 seed weight. Hence it can be recommended for commercial seed production of bitter gourd

P. Verma, R. Verma, N.K. Bharat and D.K. Mehta (2025). Effect of Zinc Nanoparticles Seed Treatment on Seed Quality Parameters in Bitter Gourd. Biological Forum, 17(5a): 38-41