Effect of pinching, gibberellic acid and kinetin on growth, flowering and seed yield in marigold

Abstract

An investigation was carried out to study the response of African marigold to pinching and growth regulators at the Horticulture Research Farm, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P. during summer season of 2017. Experiment consisted of three levels of pinching (no pinching, single pinching, double pinching) and seven level of plant growth regulators (Control, GA3 50 ppm, GA3 100 ppm, GA3 150 ppm, kinetin 50 ppm, kinetin 100 ppm and kinetin 150 ppm). Experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. The results revealed that, significantly higher number of primary branches per plant, leaf biomass, flower yield per plant, seed yield per plant were found under double pinching and spraying of GA3 at 150 ppm. Whereas maximum fresh weight of leaf, dry weight of leaf, day to bud initiation, duration of flowering, bud length and number of petals per flower were recorded in no pinching treatment and application of GA3 at 150 ppm.