Response of growth regulators and nutrients on growth and yield of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

The influence of exogenous application of plant growth regulators on morphological, physiological and yield attributes of ‘SL 525’ soybean was studied during 2009. Five treatments involving foliar application of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) @ 150 and 200 μM, Ethrel @ 150 and 200 μg/ml and control (no spray) at three crop growth stages viz., vegetative (V), pod initiation (P) and grain filling (G) were tried for studying various morpho-physiological traits of plants at 100 and 120 days after sowing and seed yield per plant at maturity. SNP 200 μM applied at V+P+G gave the best results in terms of improved plant height, better canopy characteristics, increased stem diameter, higher physiological attributes, maximum biomass accumulation and finally highest seed yield per plant. Ethrel decreased seed yield per plant at all the concentrations compared to control.