Relationship between physiological traits and productivity of ocimum germplasms with the responses of growth promoters

A field experiment was conducted at the Research Area of Department of Crop and Herbal Physiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh during the kharif season. Nine Ocimum germplasms, viz. IC369247, EC38737, IC33776, IC391924, Ocimum basillicum, Ocimum local, Ocimum cannum, Ocimum basillicul local and Ocimum sanctum local were screened for their physiological traits contributing to the yield and herbage production using salicylic acid and ascorbic acid applied as foliar spray. Salicylic acid has shown better performance amongst all others growth promoters tested in this investigation. This growth promoter had increased the plant height, leaf area index, leaf area duration, specific leaf area, crop growth rate, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate, seed yield, herbage yield, harvest index, nitrogen, protein and oil %, photosynthetically active radiation, net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, stomata conductance, CO2 and H2O utilization in comparison to other treatments. Among the germplasms, IC 369247 had shown better performance for plant height, LAI, LAD, CGR, RGR, seed yield, PAR, PN, E, gs, CO₂ and H₂O utilization and oil percent. The second next germplasm EC 387337 had increased the SLA, herbage yield, nitrogen and protein followed by Ocimum basillicum which had increased the NAR and HI.