Effect of plant growth regulators and chemicals on yield and quality of acid lime (Citrus aurantifoliaSwingle) under foothill condition of Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

An experiment to study the effect of plant growth regulators and chemicals on acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) was carried out in the year 2014 in the Experimental Farm, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture and Forestry, Central Agricultural University, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with eight treatments and three replications. The treatments were T1 (control-water spray), T2 (GA 50 ppm), T3 (GA 100 ppm), T4 (Cycocel 1000 ppm), T5 (KNO3 one percent), T6 (GA3 50 ppm + Cycocel 1000ppm), T7 (GA3 100 ppm + Cycocel 1000 ppm), T8 (GA3 100 + Cycocel 1000ppm +KNO3 1 per cent. The experimental results indicate that the acid lime trees sprayed with GA3 100 ppm + Cycocel 1000ppm + KNO3 1 per cent showed better performance in delaying of flowering, increase the number of flower/shoot (6.62), number of fruits/tree (149) and average fruit yield (4.64 kg/tree) of the crop. Effect of growth regulators and chemicals on quality characters however was not found significant for most of the parameters except TSS, ascorbic acid and titrable acidity. The higher results were obtained in T8 i.e. GA3 100 ppm + Cycocel 1000ppm + KNO3 1 per cent (8.27%) for titrable acidity and ascorbic acid (41.21 mg). Control with water spray alone registered the lowest values for both quantitative and qualititative parameters.