2016, Vol. 4, Issue 5, Part D

author(s)
C Vanitha and M Kathiravan

abstract
The experiment was conducted at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai to maximize the seed and root yield in chicory through nutrient management techniques. The recommended dose of fertilizer was applied through inorganic and organic form (vermicompost @ 10 t ha^-1 equivalent to the recommended dose of inorganic fertilizer) along with control. To increase the seed set and root yield, growth promoters like GA₃ (200 ppm), NAA (50 ppm), Brassinolide (0.25 ppm) and GA₃ + Brassinolide (200+ 0.25 ppm) and retardants viz., cycocel (100) and paclobutrazol (50 ppm) were applied after 45 days of sowing. The result reveals that nutrients applied through inorganic is more effective for seed yield compared to organic but which is better than control. The growth promoter, brassinolide in combination with GA₃ induces early flowering ( by 17.6 days earlier) along with higher LAI (7.74) and NAR (0.98 mg) resulting in maximum seed yield (5.39 g plant-1) in inorganic forms of fertilizers. The growth retardants, paclobutrazol and cycocel, suppressed the growth and yield parameters but increased the root quality parameters