EFFECT OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON GROWTH CURD YIELD AND SEED PRODUCTION OF CAULIFLOWER

Abstract

Two field experiments were conducted at the farm of the Horticulture Research Center (HRC), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARl), Joydebpur, Gazipur during the period from October 2004 lo March 200S. The objectives of the research work were to study the curd yield and seed production of BARI Fulkapi-I as influenced by different levels of Gibberellic acid (GA3) and Ethrel. Both the experiments were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The field experiment had three replications. There were five concentrations of GA3 (SO, 7S, 100, 12S and 150 ppm) in the first experiment and three concentration or both GA3 and Ethrel (300, 3SO, 400 and SO, 7S, I 00 ppm) in the second experiment. For curd initiation the maximum time (8S.OO days) was required in plants treated with 150 ppm GA:i while the minimum time (80.00 days) was required with 50 ppm GA3. The maximum number of leaves (26) were obtained in 125 ppm GAJ and the minimum (23) in 50 ppm GA3 and control treatment. The maximum curd weight with leaves ( 2.20 kg), marketable curd weight ( 1.50 kg), curd length (27 cm), curd breadth (240cm), yield per plot (20.20 kg) and yield per hectare (S7.71 tons) were recorded by ISO ppm GA~ and control treatment showed the lowest performance. For curd production, the highest BCR value of 2.90 was observed in 1 SO ppm GA:i The highest plant height (115 cm) was recorded in 350 ppm GA:i while lowest was (84.00 cm) recorded in l 00 ppm Ethrel. The maximum number of pods per plant (2850), pod length (7.50 cm), seeds per pod (16.30), seed weight per plant (38 53 g), 1000 seed weight (4.97 g), seed yield (1.57 t/ha) and percentages of seed germination (97.50) were found in 350 ppm GA3 . 350 ppm GA3 also had the highest BCR value of 8.02 indicating the economic viability of using growth regulator in seed production of cauliflower.