Effect of plant growth regulators on growth, flowering and yield of ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula roxb L.) cv. Pusa Nasdar

摘要

A field experiment was conducted at Horticulture Research Farm, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand during the Kharif season 2009, respectively to study the effect of growth regulators and different manual practices on growth parameters like vein length, No. of plant stand, No. of branches per plant and sex expression parameters like No. of male flowers at 45,60,75 DAS, No. of female flowers at 45,60,75 DAS, & sex ratio and yield & yield attributes parameter like average length, weight of fruit and fruit set per plant & yield of ridge gourd cv. Pusa nasdar. The experiment consisted of 10 treatments combination involving three growth regulators viz. NAA 50 & 100 mg/L, Cycocel 100 and 200 mg/L. And Ethrel 100 & 200 ppm at 3-4 leaf stage of plant and control treatment & water spray (distilled water) with other treatment like pinching of primary bud at 30 days, removal of male flowers from 45 days to onward (weekly). Among all the treatment combination Ethrel 200 ppm wasfound to be the most effective in increasing more number of female flowers (6.13,30.92 and 18.22 at 45,60 and 75 DAS, respectively), decrease the number of male flowers (112.82 and 118.46 at 60 and 75 DAS, respectively) and thereby reducing the male female ratio (3.61, 3.43 and 2.94 at 60, 90 and 120 DAS, respectively), the treatment of Ethrel 200 ppm also increase the fruit setting (21.64), total number of fruits per plant (20.09), length of marketable fruits (23.73 cm), weight of marketable fruits (331.67 g), thereby fruit yield per plot (20.18 kg) and per hectare (134.50 q). Which was at par with Ethrel 100 ppm.