Effect of plant growth regulators on yield of Wal (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet)

Abstract

A field trial was carried out during the Rabi season of 2024-25 at the Education and Research Farm, Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture, Dapoli, Tal-Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri, to study the influence of plant growth regulators on the yield and yield attributes of lablab bean. The experiment included 14 treatments: T1-GA₃ 20 ppm, T2-GA₃ 30 ppm, T3-GA₃ 40 ppm, T4-GA₃ 50 ppm, T5-NAA 20 ppm, T6-NAA 30 ppm, T7-NAA 40 ppm, T8-NAA 50 ppm, T9-Cycocel 50 ppm, T10-Cycocel 100 ppm, T11-Cycocel 200 ppm, T12-Cycocel 300 ppm, T13-Control (water spray), and T14-Absolute control. Treatments were arranged in a Randomized Block Design with two replications. Among all treatments, GA₃ at 40 ppm (T3) produced the maximum grain yield per plant (11.14 g) and per hectare (1237.63 kg), along with the greatest pod length, number of pods per plant, and number of seeds per pod. This treatment also recorded higher protein content. On the other hand, the absolute control (T14) showed the lowest performance across all traits. The findings indicate that GA₃ at 40 ppm is the most effective treatment for enhancing growth, yield, and quality of lablab bean.