Effect of Gibberellic Acid and Naphthalene Acetic Acid on Growth, Yield and Quality of Strawberry (Fragaria× ananassa Duch) cv. Winter Dawn under Controlled Condition

Abstract

The experiment was conducted using the Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 8 treatments, viz., T1: GA₃ 50 ppm, T2: GA₃ 100 ppm, T3: NAA 20 ppm, T4: NAA 40 ppm, T5: GA₃ 50 ppm + NAA 20 ppm, T6: GA₃ 50 ppm + NAA 40 ppm, T7: GA₃ 100 ppm + NAA 20 ppm, and T8: GA₃ 100 ppm + NAA 40 ppm, with three replications. Maximum plant height (23.10 cm), number of leaves per plant (22.27), number of flowers per plant (19.43), number of runners per plant (9.65), and plant spread in the east–west (23.09 cm) and north–south (23.99 cm) directions were recorded under treatment T8 at 90 days after transplanting (DAT). Similarly, maximum fruit length (53.54 mm), fruit weight (14 g), number of fruits per plant (21.78), yield per plant (304.70 g), and yield per hectare (253.54 q/ha) were also obtained under T8. The highest TSS (9.60°Brix) and ascorbic acid content (60.26 mg/100 g) were observed under T8, whereas the highest total sugar content (8.54%) was recorded under T6. The findings revealed that the highest cost of cultivation (₹17,54,741/ha), net profit (₹53,44,379/ha), and benefit–cost ratio (3.0) were obtained under T8.