PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS AFFECTING GROWTH AND SEX EXPRESSION OF ROUND MELON (Praecitrullus fistulosus) Cv. Arka TINDA

P.B. CHAUDHARY¹*, P.C. JOSHI², D.C. CHAUDHARY³, H.S. BHADAURIA⁴, PIYUSH VERMA⁵, L.R. VARMA^6
1Department of Vegetable Science, College of Horticulture, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, 385 506, Gujarat, India
²C.P. College of Agriculture, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, 385 506, Gujarat, India
³Department of Vegetable Science, College of Horticulture, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, 385 506, Gujarat, India
⁴C.P. College of Agriculture, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, 385 506, Gujarat, India
⁵C.P. College of Agriculture, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, 385 506, Gujarat, India
⁶College of Horticulture, S. D. Agricultural University, Jagudan, 382 710, Gujarat, India
* Corresponding Author : horticulturist.cdc@gmail.com

Received : 09-08-2016     Accepted : 24-05-2017     Published : 12-06-2017
Volume : 9     Issue : 27       Pages : 4345 - 4348
Int J Agr Sci 9.27 (2017):4345-4348

Keywords : Sex expression, GA3, Growth, Ethrel, NAA, Round melon, Yield
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are highly thankful to Head of Department Horticulture, Dean, C.P. College of Agriculture, Dean, College of Horticulture and Director of Research and Dean PGs, S.D. Agricultural University Sardarkrushinagar, Gujarat for providing necessary facilities and financial support to conduct this experiment successfully
Author Contribution : All author equally contributed

The present investigation was carried out during summer season, 2016 at Horticulture Instructional Farm, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar (Gujarat). Experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with ten treatments viz., T1 (Control), T2 (GA3 10 ppm), T3 (GA3 20 ppm), T4 (GA3 30 ppm), T5 (Ethrel 50 ppm), T6 (Ethrel 100 ppm), T7 (Ethrel 150 ppm), T8 (Ethrel 25 ppm), T9 (NAA 50 ppm) and T10 (NAA 100 ppm). The results revealed that, the maximum length of main vine at 60 and 90 DAS (225.07 and 268.21 cm), respectively, and number of leaves per plant at 60 and 90 days after sowing (205.78 and 332.17) and produced the maximum number of male flower (228.56) were recorded with treatment (T4) GA3 30 ppm. Treatment (T7) Ethrel 150 ppm proved to be most effective for produced the minimum number of sub-vine at 60 and 90 DAS (7.78 and 9.22), lower node number at which first female flower appears (5.60), lower node number per plant at main vine (24.11), lower internodal length (9.56 cm), maximum total leaf area per plant (92.39 cm2), number of female flower (45.78) and fruit set percent (66.18), numbers of fruits (28.78), fruit weight (68.00 g/fruit), fruit yield per plant (2.59 kg), fruit yield per plot (18.14 kg) and higher fruit yield per hectare (129.33 q/ha). The lowered sex ratio was recorded in treatment (T6) Ethrel 100 ppm i.e. (1: 4.06).

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