Effect of Foliar Supplied PGRs on Flower Growth and Antioxidant Activity of African Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.)

Abstract

Marigold is one of the commercially exploited flowering crops that belongs to the family Asteraceae. The production of economical yield and better quality of marigold flowers requires proper crop management techniques. Crop regulation is an important technique to make the marigold production profitable. This can be done by adopting application of plant growth regulators (PGRs). The present study was designed to investigate the effect of PGRs on flowering and antioxidant activity of two cultivars of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) viz. “Pusa Narangi Gainda” (hereinafter referred to as Narangi) and “Pusa Basanthi Gainda” (hereafter referred to as Basanthi). Plants were sprayed with abscisic acid (ABA), N-acetyl thiazolidine (NAD), gibberellic acid (GA3), salicylic acid (SA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and oxalic acid (OA) at the concentrations of 100, 150, 250, 300 and 800 mg·L−1, each. Results revealed that the plants treated with 500–600 mg·L−1 IBA exhibited maximum increase in floral diameter (34–51%). The use of 500–550 mg·L−1 IBA exhibited maximal enhancement in flower fresh weight (21–92%). The exogenously applied OA significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved flower dry weight, total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents and reducing power ability of marigold plants. Overall, “Narangi” performed better than “Basanthi”, in terms of flowering and antioxidant activity. Conclusively, the results suggest that foliar application of PGRs favors flowering and antioxidant activity of African marigold.

Impact of Integrated Zinc and Iron Management Practices on Biochemical Attributes and Nutrient Uptake of Marigold cv. Local Orange

“…Copper is an essential component of proteins found in enzymes that control the rate of biochemical reactions in plants. Similar results was obtained by earlier workers [14][15][16][17].…”

LhANS-rr1, LhDFR, and LhMYB114 Regulate Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Flower Buds of Lilium ‘Siberia’

“…The color is an important attribute that determines the quality of flowers [ 40 , 41 ]. The purple color with the development and vernalization in lily buds, which is due to the accumulation of anthocyanins, has become an important target in lily breeding [ 42 ].…”

Influence of foliar application of glycinebetaine on Tagetes erecta L yield cultivated under salinity conditions

“…Tagetes species are largely well documented for their flavonoid and terpene content (Munhoz et al, 2014). In consequence, they are reported to have antimicrobial (Gakuubi et al, 2016), insecticidal (Fabrick et al, 2020), larvicidal (Giarratana et al, 2017) and antioxidant (Sadique et al, 2021) properties and are used as traditional medicines in different countries as a treatment for colic, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, skin diseases and liver disorders (Jain et al, 2012). Among the ornamental flowering plants, marigold is reported to grow well in saline conditions (Escalona et al, 2012).…”