Effect of Foliar Application of Gibberellic Acid and Triacontanol on Growth, Physiological Performance and Productivity of Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

Abstract

Gibberellic acid (GA) and Triacontanol are two plant growth-promoting substances that have significant potential to enhance crop growth, and productivity. Gibberellins (GAs) are plant hormones that are essential for many developmental processes in plants, including seed germination, stem elongation, leaf expansion, trichome development, pollen maturation and the induction of flowering. The Present study highlights the effect of Foliar Spray of GA and Triacontanol on Growth, Physiology and Productivity of Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill.]. The study was carried out at the Experimental field of Botanical Garden, Department Plant Physiology Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during Kharif (2023-24). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. The soybean variety JS20 98 was tested under different plant growth regulator management. The treatment consists of six treatment viz; T1: Control, T2: GA3 1.5 ml/L, T3: GA3 2.0 ml/L, T4: GA3 2.5 ml/L, T5: GA3 3.0 ml/L, T6:Triacontanol 0.5 ml/L, with two foliar sprays (first spray at Flowering and second at pod initiation stages for growth, yield and quality. The observation was recorded at different stages of the crop. The foliar application of Triacontanol@ 0.5 ml/L was found to have a significant effect on the number of seeds per pod. Foliar application of GA₃ at 3.0 mL L⁻¹ significantly increased plant height, leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), number of branches per plant, seeds per pod, and 100-seed weight in soybean.