Effect of crop growth regulation and defoliation on productivity and economics of summer greengram

Abstract

Indeterminate growth habit of greengram causes inefficient partitioning of photosynthates, resulting
in lower seed yield and higher stover yields. Interestingly, growth regulators have been used in
many studies to modify plant physiological processes and improve seed yields in pulses. Hence, a
field study was conducted in Students Research Farm, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana,
during summer season of 2015, to assess the impact of one growth retardant and three defoliants on
productivity and economics of summer greengram. The treatments included mepiquat chloride,
ethrel, thidiazuron applied alone or in combination and paraquat and unsprayed control. The results
revealed that yield and yield attributes were significantly affected by these growth regulation
treatments. Application of ethrel @ 1.0 l/ha at 55-60 DAS significantly improved yield and yield
attributes viz number of pods per plant, pod setting percentage and 100 seed-weight compared to
control. Path analysis of the yield attributes indicated that flowers per plant, pods per plant, pod
setting, and 100 seed weight were significantly correlated with the seed yield.