Influence of Plant Growth Regulators on Growth, Seed Yield and Economics of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) cv. Jawahar Dhaniya-10

Abstract

An experiment was performed during the Rabi (October–March, 2021–22) at the Vegetable Research Center, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, JNKVV, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India to study the effects of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on the growth, yield and economics of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) cv. Jawahar Dhaniya-10. A Randomized Block Design with three replications was used, including nine PGR treatments: Salicylic acid (50 and 100 ppm), Jasmonic acid (50 and 100 ppm), Benzyl Adenine (10 and 20 ppm), and Brassinosteroid (0.5 and 1.0 ppm), with a water spray as the control. Spraying was conducted at 30 and 60 days after sowing (DAS). The results showed that the foliar application of Jasmonic acid at 50 ppm significantly increased growth parameters, achieving the highest plant height (111.97 cm) and the number of branches plant-1 (9.33). Earliness, indicated by 50% flowering, was observed at 55 days with Jasmonic acid at 50 ppm, followed by 59 days with Jasmonic acid at 100 ppm. For yield attributes, the highest values for the number of umbellets umbel-1 (7.62), seed yield (17.99 q ha-1), and test weight (15.67 g) were recorded with 20 ppm Benzyl Adenine, followed by Brassinosteroid at 1.00 ppm (16.89 kg ha-1 yield). Additionally, the highest net return and benefit-cost ratio were also observed with 20 ppm Benzyl Adenine. Hence, it is concluded that the foliar application of Benzyl Adenine (BA) and Jasmonates can be effective in enhancing the growth and yield of coriander.