Flowering, Fruiting and Yield of Litchi cv. Rose Scented as Influenced by Naphthalene Acetic Acid and Zinc Sulphate

Abstract

An experiment was carried out in the Garden, Department of Fruit Science, C.S. Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (208002), India during two subsequent years i.e., from January to May, 2022 and 2023, to assess the flowering, fruiting, and yield of litchi cv. Rose Scented as influenced by the application of Naphthalene acetic acid and Zinc sulphate. There were sixteen treatments including four levels of NAA (0, 25, 50, and 75 ppm), zinc sulphate (0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6%), and their combinations applied in Factorial–CRD. The foliar application of NAA and Zinc sulphate was made on January 28 and March 16 during both years before flowering and fruit set at the pea stage. The results of the experiment showed that plants treated with NAA @ 50 ppm with zinc sulphate @ 0.4% took the minimum days for flowering (20.40) and increased length of panicle (22.87 cm), and number of panicles (182.65) plant^-1. It also increased the total number of fruit sets (258.90) panicle^-1 and simultaneously maintained the fruit count at the pea stage (47.42), pit hardening stage (38.84), and at fruit ripening stage (27.13) of the pooled mean. The same treatment enhanced fruit sets (63.37 %), reduced fruit drop (91.37%), increased fruit retention (8.61%) and marketable yield (82.48 kg plant^-1). It was concluded that the application of NAA at 50ppm and zinc sulphate at 0.4% significantly impacted the maximum fruit set, retention, fruiting characters and marketable yield of litchi fruit in the plains of northern India.