FOLIAR GIBBERELLIC ACID APPLICATION FOR MAXIMIZING RICE GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of foliar-applied gibberellic acid (GA₃) on the growth and yield attributes of rice. Five GA₃ concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg L⁻¹) were tested under field conditions. Results revealed alluring improvements in all growth and yield parameters with GA₃ application compared to the control. The 75 mg L⁻¹ GA₃ treatment (T₃) consistently outperformed other treatments, recording the highest plant height (92.4 cm), tillers per plant (6.2), leaf area index (4.2), chlorophyll content (50.3 SPAD), dry biomass (21.4 g plant⁻¹), spike length (11.3 cm), number of grains per spike (52.1), 1000-grain weight (45.7 g), and grain yield per plant (18.1 g). Although the 100 mg L⁻¹ treatment (T₄) also showed improvements, it resulted in a slight decline in performance compared to T₃, indicating that excessive GA₃ may reduce physiological efficiency. These findings suggest that 75 mg L⁻¹ is the optimal GA₃ concentration for enhancing rice growth and yield under the given conditions.