Efficacy of auxins and gibberellic acid on floral attributes and essential oil yield on German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.)

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) is one of the important medicinal plants grown for its valuable flowers from which oil is extracted which contains high pharmaceutical value. Plant bio-regulators can be effectively used to enhance both vegetative as well as flowering attributes. Plants were foliarly treated with IAA, GA₃ and NAA at three concentrations (25, 50 and 100 ppm) which improved floral parameters like days taken to first bud initiation, flower diameter (cm), number of flowers per plant and fresh and dry weight of flowers per plant (g). Among the different treatments, GA₃ at 100 ppm was found to be best treatment for most of the parameters viz. days taken to first bud initiation (15.53), flower diameter (2.57 cm), number of flowers per plant (268.93), fresh weight of flowers per plant (35.56 g) and dry weight of flowers per plant (6.96 g), whereas NAA at 100 ppm proved to be the best for stem diameter (6.76 mm). GA3 @ 100 ppm was found to be the most effective for most of the vegetative and floral characteristics of chamomile cv. CIM Sammohak.