Response of Different Levels of Salicylic Acid on Growth Characteristics, Chlorophyll Content, Yield Attributes and Yield of Black Gram (Vigna mungo L.) under Rainfed Condition

To study the response of different levels of salicylic acid on growth characteristics, chlorophyll intensity, yields attributes and yield of black gram (Vigna mungo L.) under rainfed conditions. The field experiment was conducted at Department of Crop Physiology, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India during kharif season in the year 2017-18. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 10 Treatments replicated thrice and assigned in 30 plots. The treatment comprised as T1: Control, T2: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 50 ppm at 20 DAS, T3: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 50 ppm at 40 DAS, T4: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 50 ppm at 60 DAS, T5: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 100 ppm at 20 DAS, T6: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 100 ppm at 40 DAS, T7: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 100 ppm at 60 DAS, T8: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 150 ppm at 20 DAS, T9: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 150 ppm at 40 DAS, T10: Foliar application of salicylic acid @ 150 ppm at 60 DAS. The results showed significant increments in Growth attributes, relative water content (%), chlorophyll intensity (SPAD meter value), yield and yield attributes viz., plant height (36.50 and 38.10 cm) at 70 DAS and maturity, number of leaves plant-1(8.66, 23.66 and 22.0) at 35, 70 DAS and maturity, number of branches plant-1 (3.9, 8.60 and 10.33) at 35, 70 DAS and maturity, dry weight of plant-1(2.76, 6.12 and 5.01 g) at 35, 70 DAS and maturity, dry weight of stem plant-1(2.76, 7.12 and 7.96 g) at 35, 70 DAS and maturity, total dry weight of plant (4.96, 13.24 and 21.97 g) at 35, 70 DAS and maturity, total leaf area plant-1 (211.33 and 384.87 cm-2) at pre and post flowering, Relative water content (51.50 and 43.43) at Pre and post flowering, Chlorophyll content (49.93 and 40.90) at pre and post flowering, Number of pods plant-1 (46.00) at maturity, Dry weight of pods plant-1 (8.99g) at maturity, seed yield plant-1 (6.66 g), 100-Seed weight (4.41 g), Harvesting index (30.30%), Grain Yield (10.35 q ha-1) with the foliar application of salicylic acid @ 150 ppm at 60 DAS while minimum in control. The addition of salicylic acid under rainfed conditions resulted in significant increments in growth parameters, chlorophyll intensity, yield and yield attributes of black gram in rainfed conditions. Thus, it may be concluded that the foliar application of salicylic acid @ 150 ppm was found to be optimum concentration in enhancing growth and yield of a black gram over rest of treatment under rainfed conditions.