Vol. 12, Issue 7 (2023)

An experiment was carried out in an open field to analyse the effect of foliar treatment of putrescine on growth and flowering attributes of annual candytuft at an experimental farm of the Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (U.P.) during 2021-22. In the present study, significant differences among different concentrations of putrescine (0.00, 1.00, 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, 2.00, 2.25, 2.50, 2.75, and 3.00 mmol) on growth and flowering attributes of annual candytuft were observed. Plant height, (31.67 cm) at 60 DAT and 90 DAT (43.33 cm) was found greater in plants treated with 2.00 mmol putrescine concentration. Similarly, the maximum number of primary branches at 60 DAT (30.66) and 90 DAT (42.75) as well as the maximum number of secondary branches at 60 DAT (122.83) and 90 DAT (349.25) was also recorded from putrescine 2.00 mmol concentration. 2.00 mmol putrescine treatment also resulted in a maximum number of leaves per plant (1208.83). In the case of flowering, 2.50 mmol treatment was seen to have a better effect as compared with all other treatments by showing minimum days for bud initiation (36.08 DAT), flower bud development (49.42 DAT) and flower bud opening (53.50 DAT). 1.25 mmol of putrescine treatments resulted in delayed withering with maximum days (78.83 DAT). The highest number of flower buds per cluster (58.13) was recorded from the treatment of 2.75 mmol putrescine concentration while 2.00 mmol putrescine treatment resulted in a maximum number of flower clusters per branch (56.07) and maximum number of flower clusters per plant (511.92). The present experiment gave the precise database of the comparative performance of various growth and flowering parameters of candytuft with different concentrations of putrescine.