Evaluation of plant growth regulatory potential of mepiquat chloride on yield and fruit quality in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during the rainy season (kharif), 2015. The present investigation was carried out to understand the effect of mepiquat chloride on yield and yield attributes of brinjal variety New Kiran. Experiment was laid out in a randomized block design. Brinjal plants were foliar sprayed with 1350 ppm, 1700 ppm and 3400 ppm concentration of mepiquat chloride. In addition to three concentrations, time of foliar sprayed viz, (i) at initiation of flowering, (ii) after 15 days of initiation of flowering (iii) first spraying at initiation of flowering followed by second spraying after fifteen days of first spaying at same dose. The present study further aims to find out the stage of plant and concentration of mepiquat chloride to have maximum yield and best fruit quality of brinjal variety New Kiran. Among the concentrations, significantly highest number of fruits per plant (16.88), length of fruits (17.61cm), diameter of fruits (5.07 cm), weight of five fruits (477g), weight of fruits per plant (1.25 kg), weight of seeds per plant (60.60 g) and total soluble solids (5.40%) were obtained in 3400 ppm concentration under T3as against control (T8). Similarly significant increase in number of fruits per plant, length of fruits (cm), diameter of fruits (cm), weight of fruits per plant (kg), weight of seeds per plant (g) and total soluble solids (%) were recorded at initiation of flowering over fifteen days after initiation of flowering and first spraying at initiation of flowering followed by second spraying after fifteen days of first spaying.