International Journal of Plant & Soil Science

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) seed germination is often slow and uneven, which can limit uniform nursery establishment. The present investigation evaluated the influence of different pre-sowing seed treatments on germination and early seedling growth of papaya cv. Red Lady during 2025 at Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design with nine treatments and three replications. Seeds were treated with gibberellic acid (GA₃) or naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) at 50 or 100 ppm for 6 or 12 hours and were raised in a vermicompost + cocopeat + soil medium (1:1:1), with an untreated control. Significant treatment effects were observed for all evaluated germination and growth attributes. GA₃ at 100 ppm for 12 hours (T9) produced the earliest first germination (10.00 days), the highest germination percentage (85.47%), Seedling Vigour Index-I (1035) and survival percentage (90.84%). This treatment also recorded the greatest seedling height, number of leaves, girth, leaf area, number of roots and root length at 45 days after sowing, and was closely followed by GA₃ at 100 ppm for 6 hours (T8). The untreated control showed the lowest performance across the measured traits. Under the conditions of this study, pre-sowing treatment with GA₃ at 100 ppm for 12 hours was the most effective treatment for improving germination and early seedling performance of papaya cv. Red Lady.