EFFECT OF GIBBERELLIC ACID ON MORPHOLOGY, VEGETATIVE GROWTH AND SEED YIELD OF FENUGREEK (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)

Abstract

The study was carried out at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) farm, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the rabi season from November 2017 to March 2018 to investigate the effect of gibberellic acid on morphology, vegetative growth and seed yield of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). The treatment consisted of seven levels of GA 3 including control viz. T 1 = 0 ppm GA 3 (Tap water spray), T 2 = 25 ppm GA 3 ,

T 3 = 50 ppm GA 3 = 75 ppm GA 3 ,

T 5 = 100 ppm GA 3 , T 6 = 125 ppm GA 3 and T 7 ,

T 4 = 150 ppm GA 3 . The experiment was laid out in a randomized completely block design (RCBD) with three replications. Data were collected on different growth, morphological, yield and yield contributing characters of fenugreek. Results revealed that the treatment T 4 (75 ppm GA 3 ) gave the maximum plant height (84.48 cm) and number of leaves plant -1 (132.4) at harvest, and the highest chlorophyll content (57.99 and 59.58 at 60 and 75 DAS, respectively) and highest absorbance reading by spectrophotometer at 645 ɳm (0.197 and 0.184 at 60 and 75 DAS, respectively) and at 663 ɳm (0.235 and 0.222 at 60 and 75 DAS, respectively). This treatment also showed highest total chlorophyll content at 45 and 60 DAS (1.488 and 1.067 μg g -1 ,

respectively). The highest productivity (13.32 kg/ha/days), number of primary branches plant (6.73), number of pods plant -1 (54.20), number of seeds pod -1 (14.87), number of seeds plant -1 (805.90), seed weight plant -1 (5.11 g), 1000 seed weight (10.47 g), pod length (7.46 cm), seed yield ha -1 (1582.00 kg), stover yield ha -1 (3230.00 kg), biological yield ha -1 (4878.00 kg) and harvest index (32.42%) were also found from the treatment, T 4 (75 ppm GA 3 ) compared to control.