## 3 Results  
### Effect of Seed Printing on the Germination Traits of Eggplant  
Seed priming with AGE, SA, and MeJA resulted in enhanced germination and the results are presented in Figure 1. The germination percentage was significantly higher in seeds treated with 100-200 \(\upmu\)g mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE, MeJA, and SA compared to the control treatment and seeds applied with 200 \(\upmu\)g mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h obtained maximum germination percentage. Interestingly, AGE at higher concentrations (300 \(\upmu\)g mL\({}^{-1}\)) greatly reduced germination percentage in a time dependent manner and prolonged exposure (12 h) resulted in the minimum germination percentage, which was at a statistical difference with the control treatment (Figure 1a).  
Not only did the germination percentage increase with AGE application, but also the time required by the seed to germinate was shortened. Priming the seeds with 200 \(\upmu\)g mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h facilitated germination in the least amount of time. On the other hand, priming with 300 \(\upmu\)g mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h, imposed stress upon the seeds and extended the germination time. Treatment with 100 \(\upmu\)g mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h and SA for 4 h also reduced the germination time appreciably (Figure 1b).  
Figure 1: Germination dynamics of AGE (aqueous garlic extracts), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), salicylic acid (SA) and control seedlings of eggplant. (**a**) percent of germinated seeds at 7 th day, (**b**) Mean germination time, (**c**) Germination rate index, (**d**) Coefficient of velocity of germination. Ck (Distilled water), A1, A2, A3 (AGE 100, 200, 300 \(\upmu\)g mL\({}^{-1}\)), MJ (MeJA 0.05 mM), SA (Salicylic acid 0.5 mM), whereas 4, 8-, and 12-h are priming durations. Bars represent mean and standard errors (\(n=50\)). Data were subjected to analysis of variance ANOVA. Same letters on the bars bear no significant difference at \(p=0.05\) (LSD), whereas, capital letters represent a significant difference among chemical treatments and small letters represent a significant difference among the priming durations.  
As compared to the control, the germination rate was highest in seeds treated with 200 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro\mathrm{g}}\) mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h and lowest in seeds treated with 300 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro\mathrm{g}}\) mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h compared to the control. The effect of 100 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro\mathrm{g}}\) mL\({}^{-1}\) AGE and MeJA were non-significant during the 4 h priming, however, the prolonged duration (8 h) resulted in higher germination rates. SA however, had promising effects on the germination rates in all the priming durations (Figure 1c).  
The CVG was found to be highest with application of 200 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro\mathrm{g}}\) mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h and lowest with 300 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro\mathrm{g}}\) mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h (with respect to the control). 100 \(\mathrm{\SIUnitSymbolMicro\mathrm{g}}\) mL\({}^{-1}\) of AGE for 12 h also showed a significant increase in CVG. Similarly, seeds primed with SA for 4 h resulted higher CVG than those of 8- and 12 h. Furthermore, MeJA priming for 8 h had more prominent effects on CVG than the rest of the priming durations (Figure 1d).