Shabbeer Ahmad, Sanket Kumar, Saba Siddiqui, Akshay Kumar and Bhanu Singh
Abstract
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) is a nutritionally rich and broadly cultivated vegetable crop whose productivity is often constrained by micronutrient deficiencies and sub-optimal hormonal regulation. In 2024â2025, a field trial was carried out in the spring and summerat Integral University, Lucknow, to evaluate the effect of micronutrients and PGRs on growth, phenology, and nutrient composition of okra cv. Ridhi. The study was laid out in a split plot design with micronutrients (zinc sulphate and boron) in the main plots and plant growth regulators (NAA and GA) in subplots. In comparison to the control, the results showed that foliar treatment of zinc sulphate + boron (0.5% + 0.5%) considerably increased plant height, branch count, leaf area index, and micronutrient (Zn and B) content. It also encouraged earlier blooming and harvesting. The growth regulator treatments that improved vegetative growth, branching, leaf area index, micronutrient accumulation, and earliness metrics the greatest were NAA 150 ppm + GA 100 ppm. Nitrogen and potassium contents showed non- significant variation, while phosphorus content improved significantly under selected growth regulator treatments. The interaction effects further shown that integrated application of micronutrients and PGRs produces synergistic responses in crop performance. The study demonstrates that balanced micronutrient nutrition combined with appropriate plant growth regulators is a powerful strategy to accelerate growth, improve nutrient status, and advance crop maturity in okra.