Chilling resistance at sowing is pre-requisite to avoid high temperature stress at terminal stage of spring planted maize crop. Seed priming offers promising solution to improve crop resistance against low or high temperature stress. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the role of seed priming in improving the performance of spring planted maize under various sowing dates. Seeds of hybrid maize FH-810 were soaked in aerated solution of CaC}z (2.2%), moringa leaf extracts (MLE, 3.3%) and salicylic acid (SA, 50 mg L- 1 ) while dry and water soaked seeds (hydropriming) were used as controls. Both primed and untreated seeds were planted on 02 and 22 Feb, and 14 March. Late planted maize observed notable decline in mean emergence time than early planted crop owing to high temperature at planting. Both low and high temperature in early (02 Feb) and late (14 March) planted maize resulted in reduced seedling growth and tissue water status accompanied with elevated membrane electrolytes leakage. Moreover all the priming techniques improved the studied parameters of crop compared with control at all planting dates. Seed osmopriming with SA improved crop stress resistance by earlier emergence, increased seedling dry weight, tissue water status and improved membrane stability followed by osmopriming with CaC12.

• Hafeez ur Rehman(Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agriculture) Corresponding authors
• Irfan Afzal(Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agriculture)
• Muhammad Farooq(Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture)
• Tariq Azii(Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture)
• Shahzad Maqsood Ahmad Basra(Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agriculture)