Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EFFECT OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS AND THEIR SPRAYSCHEDULE ON GROWTH PARAMETERS AND FRUIT YIELD OFTOMATO (LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM MILL.) UNDERPROTECTED CULTIVATION

Virendra Kumar, Rajiv, Durgesh Kumar, Braj Kishor and Buddhesh Pratap Singh

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted at Vegetable Research Farm, Kalyanpur of Chandra Shekhar AzadUniversity of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, India during two consecutive rabi seasons of 2019-20and 2020-21, to find out the effect of PGRs and their spray schedules on tomato. The experiment was laidout in Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with 27 treatment combinations and replicated thriceunder insect proof net house. The experiment comprised nine levels of plant growth regulators viz., GA3 @50 ppm, GA3 @ 75 ppm, GA3 @ 100 ppm, NAA @ 20 ppm, NAA @ 30 ppm, NAA @ 40 ppm, 4-CPA @ 20 ppm,4-CPA @ 30 ppm and 4-CPA @ 40 ppm and three spray schedules viz., at 30 and 45 DAT, at 30, 45 and 60DAT and at 30, 45, 60 and 75 DAT. The tomato hybrid ‘NS- 4266’ was used in experiment. Results of theexperiment revealed that the application of GA3 @ 75 ppm recorded significantly highest plant height (327.277and 315.377 cm), stem girth (3.233 and 3.207 cm), internodal length (17.164 and 18.153 cm) and fruit yieldper plant (12.223 and 13.208 kg) during both the years. The significantly earliest flowering (31.094 and31.536 days), fruiting (40.352 and 40.307 days) and first harvest/picking (105.204 and 104.517) were alsoobserved with this treatment. In case of spray schedules, the plants were sprayed at 30, 45, 60 and 75 daysafter transplanting (four sprays) recorded significantly highest values of all the growth parameters andfruit yield. The earliest flowering, fruiting and harvesting were also observed with four sprays schedule.Based on two years study, the significantly highest growth parameters, fruit yield and earliness in flowering,fruiting and harvesting were found with the treatment of application of GA3 @ 75 ppm and spray scheduleof 30, 45, 60 and 75 days after transplanting. Hence, it may be recommended for higher productivity fromtomato crop under protected conditions.