Photosynthetic Response of Vigna radiata to Pre-Sowing Seed Treatment with 28-Homobrassinolide

Surface sterilised seeds of mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek cv. T-44) were soaked in 0, 10−8, 10−6, or 10−4 M aqueous solution of 28-homobrassinolide (HBR) for 4, 8, or 12 h. The treated seeds were grown in sandy loam soil filled in earthen pots and sampled at 30, 40, and 50 d. Net photosynthetic rate, leaf chlorophyll content, carbonic anhydrase activity (E.C. 4.2.1.1), carboxylation efficiency, stomatal conductance, and seed yield at harvest were enhanced by the HBR treatment. The best combination was the pre-sowing seed treatment with 10−6 M HBR for 8 h.