Influence of Plant Growth Regulators on Yield and Quality Characters of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) Cv.ANNAMALAI

A field experiment was carried out to study the effect of plant growth regulators on growth and yield of brinjal cv. ANNAMALAI. The growth regulators were applied in three different concentrations viz., NAA (25, 50 and 100 ppm), GA₃ (50, 100 and 200 ppm) and ethrel (50, 100 and 200 ppm). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with ten treatments and three replications. The earliness in flowering, number of flowers, fruit set percentage, fruit length, fruit girth, fruit weight and yield per plant were registered in the plants sprayed with GA₃ @ 50 ppm. The fruits obtained from the plants that were sprayed with GA₃ @ 200 ppm also recorded highest total soluble solids and ascorbic acid content, which ultimately had better taste than the other treatments. Among the growth regulators tested, GA₃ @ 50 ppm was found to produce best results in improving the growth and yield of brinjal cv. ANNAMALAI.