Response of foliar application of ascorbic acid and salicylic acid on African marigold

Abstract

The present study on “Response of foliar application of ascorbic acid and salicylic acid on African marigold” was undertaken at Floriculture Research Farm, ASPEE College of Horticulture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India during June to December, 2024. The experiment comprised of ten treatments of ascorbic acid (AA) and salicylic acid (SA) along with control viz., T1: AA @ 50 mg/l + SA @ 50 mg/l, T2: AA @ 50 mg/l + SA @ 150 mg/l, T3: AA @ 50 mg/l + SA @ 300 mg/l, T4: AA @ 100 mg/l + SA @ 50 mg/l, T5: AA @ 100 mg/l + SA @ 150 mg/l, T6: AA @ 100 mg/l + SA @ 300 mg/l, T7: AA @ 200 mg/l + SA @ 50 mg/l, T8: AA @ 200 mg/l + SA @ 150 mg/l, T9: AA @ 200 mg/l + SA @ 300 mg/l and T10: Control (no spray). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and the treatments were applied as foliar spray to the plants at 30 and 50 days after transplanting. Among the different treatments, AA @ 200 mg/l + SA @ 150 mg/l (T8) greatly influenced the vegetative, flowering and yield parameters as compared to other treatments which registered the maximum plant height, number of primary branches per plant, stem diameter, plant spread in both N-S and E-W directions and maximum leaf chlorophyll content. The same treatment also resulted in earliness to first flower bud appearance, longest duration of flowering, diameter of flower, fresh weight of flower, number of flowers per plant, flower yield per plant as well as per plot and hectare, flower longevity and shelf life. Based on results obtained from the present investigation, it can be concluded that foliar application of ascorbic acid @ 200 mg/l + salicylic acid @ 150 mg/l at 30 and 50 days after transplanting found better for growth, flowering, quality and yield of African marigold.