Abstract
The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of plant growth regulators (PGR) on the vegetative development and productivity of Jatropha curcas plants. A field experiment was conducted at the Goiás State University, Brazil, using two-year-old J. curcas plants planted with spacing of 3 × 2 m, using foliar applications of two PGR—trinexapac-ethyl and prohexadione-Ca. A randomized block design was used with four treatments (trinexapac-ethyl at 1 ml plant-1—T1; prohexadione-Ca at 2 mg plant-1—T2; trinexapac-ethyl at 1 ml plant-1 plus prohexadione-Ca at 2 mg plant-1—T3; and Control—T4), five replications, and plots consisting of two plants. Two applications of a 300 ml plant-1 solution with the treatments were performed with a 30-day interval after the leaf emergence period (late September and October 2017). The trinexapac-ethyl and prohexadione-Ca plant growth regulators increased the grain yield of Jatropha curcas plants by increasing their vegetative growth, and number of inflorescences, and female and hermaphrodite flowers, but had no effect on the uniformity of fruit maturation. The treatment in which both plant growth regulators were used presented the best results, generating more vigorous and productive plants.
Highlights
Greenhouse gas emissions resulted from human actions affect negatively natural resources and increase the need for renewable energy sources that reduce environmental impacts (Schrag, 2018)
The researches that have been developed and the political actions created by the National Program for the Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB) in Brazil have promoted the production of biofuels to increasingly replace petroleum diesel through the gradually mixing of it with biodiesel (Nogueira & Capaz, 2017)
A field experiment was conducted using two-year-old J. curcas plants planted with spacing of 3×2, using foliar applications of two plant growth regulators (PGR) that inhibit gibberellin synthesis trinexapac-ethyl (Moddus®, Syngenta, Basel, Switzerland) and prohexadione-Ca (Viviful, Iharabras, Sorocaba, Brazil)
Summary
Greenhouse gas emissions resulted from human actions affect negatively natural resources and increase the need for renewable energy sources that reduce environmental impacts (Schrag, 2018). The researches that have been developed and the political actions created by the National Program for the Production and Use of Biodiesel (PNPB) in Brazil have promoted the production of biofuels to increasingly replace petroleum diesel through the gradually mixing of it with biodiesel (Nogueira & Capaz, 2017). This program (PNPB) increased biodiesel production to more than 4 million m-3 in 2017, surpassing all previous years (ANP, 2018). Diversifying the raw materials for biodiesel production is needed; it can be accomplished by the introduction of promising species such as Jatropha curcas L. (Moniruzzaman, Yaakob, Shahinuzzaman, Khatun, & Islam, 2017)
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