Morpho-physiological response of gladiolus (Gladiolus hybridus Hort.) to plant growth regulators in Bundelkhand conditions

A field experiment was conducted at Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda during 2020–21 to study the effect of plant growth regulators on growth, flowering and corm production in gladiolus under Bundelkhand conditions. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. The treatments comprised of different concentrations of GA₃ (100 ppm, 150 ppm & 200 ppm) and NAA (50 ppm, 100 ppm & 150 ppm). The plant growth regulators were applied as corm dip treatment and as foliar spray at 3-leaf stage and 6-leaf stage. Analysis of results revealed that the application of GA₃ @ 200 ppm corm dip + 200 ppm foliar spray significantly improved all economically important parameters viz. days taken to 50 percent sprouting of corms (15.00 days), plant height at 3-leaf stage (41.28 cm) and 6-leaf stage (51.96 cm), days taken to spike emergence (93.43 days), days taken to full opening of first floret (110.20), floret diameter (12.34 cm), duration of flowering (18.06 days), number of corms per plant (1.26) and weight of cormels per plant (17.37 g) whereas GA₃ @ 150 ppm corm dip + 150 ppm foliar spray recorded maximum number of florets per spike (12.80), spike length (87.30 cm), rachis length (47.86 cm), vase life (8.33 days), number of cormels per plant (43.52), corm diameter (5.37 cm) and weight of corm per plant (37.58 g).