Efficacy of plant growth regulator (GA3) on growth and yield attributes of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) at Dehradun valley

Abstract

An experiment entitled "Efficacy of plant growth regulator (GA3) on growth and yield attributes of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea and 200 ppm) were used over control. Among all the treatments it was concluded that for growth attributes GA3 @ 60 ppm gave maximum plant height (49.57 cm), minimum number of days taken to 50% marketable curd size (94.53 days) and also increases yield attributing characters such as curd diameter (17.9 cm), Gross yield (3.53g/plant), Net yield (1040g), yield per plot (12.28 kg) and yield per hectare (365.63 q). From this experiment, it was concluded that 60 ppm of GA3 can be recommended in cauliflower for higher yield. Introduction Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) is the major growing crop amongst the cole crops belongs to the family Brassicaceae (2n=18). The cole crops, including cauliflower and cabbage have descended from a common kale like ancestor, the wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. sylvestris L.) still found in Western and Southern Europe and North Africa. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts etc. have been separated morphologically on the basis of few gene differences Sulphur containing compounds viz; hydrogen sulfide methanethiol, ethanethiol, propanethiol and dimethyl sulfide in addition to acetaldehyde and 2-methyl propanol have been identified in cooked cauliflower. lt is major Rabi season vegetable crop (Winter season) grown as annual plant and biennial for seed production. The edible part of the cauliflower is called as 'Curd'. It is a highly nutritious and delicious vegetable, rich in Vitamin A, C and minerals like calcium, iron and iodine (Haque, 1999) [2]. It also contains vitamin A. 100 g edible part of cauliflower contains 89% moisture, 8.0 g carbohydrates, 2.3 g proteins, 40 IU carotene, 0.13 mg B1, 0.11 mg B2, 50 mg vitamin C, 30 mg calcium and 0.8 mg iron and also contains 30 calories (Rashid, 1999) [7]. Also it contains high amount of glucosinolates the hydrolysis of which produces substances isothiosinolate and Indole-3-Carbinol which are responsible for assigning it anti-cancerous properties. It is rich in minerals such as potassium, sodium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium etc. Cauliflower follows cabbage in importance with regard to area and production in the world. However, in India cauliflower is more widely grown than cabbage. This crop grows at latitude 11°N to 60°N with average temperature ranging from 5-8 °C to 25-28 °C. In India, cauliflower cultivation is done in almost all the states, but main states are Bihar, U. P., Orissa, Assam, M.P., Gujarat and Haryana. According to National Horticulture Board (2017-18) the total vegetable area (Ha), Production (MT) and Productivity (T/Ha) in India are 10259, 184394 and 17.8 respectively. Out of total area and production cauliflower area is 453ha and production is 8668Mt. At present growth hormones are widely used in horticultural crop production all over the world. Growth hormones play a vital role in growth and development of cauliflower.