EFFECT OF PINCHING ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF MARIGOLD

The experiment was conducted at department of Horticulture, Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam, Sindh, Pakistan, to evaluate the effect of pinching on growth and yield of marigold. The experiment was conducted in Randomized complete block Design (RCBD). The study comprised of six different pinching treatments including T1= Control-No pinching, T2= Pinching after 10 days of transplanting, T3= pinching after 15 days of transplanting, T4= Pinching after 20 days of transplanting, T5= pinching after 25 days of transplanting, T6= pinching after 30 days of transplanting each treatment was replicated three times. The results indicated a significant effect of the pinching treatments observations were recorded for plant height (cm), number of flower per plant, number of branches per plant, fresh biomass of flower (g), flower diameter (cm), number of leaves per plant. It was found that all studied attributes were statically significant (P<0.05) and influenced by pinching. The maximum plant height (18.63 cm) was obtained from T5=pinching after 25 days of transplanting, pinching after 30 days of transplanting T6 produced maximum number of flower per plant (23.71), and maximum branches per plant (4.74), maximum fresh biomass of flower (7.04 g) were observed at T5= pinching after 25 days of transplanting, followed by T6 = pinching after 30 days of transplanting (6.5 g). Pinching after 30 days of transplanting T6 resulted in diameter of flower cm (14.800), and maximum number of leaves per plant (390.39), and minimum plant height (10.4 cm), minimum number of flower per plant (15.31) minimum number of branches per plant (2.95) minimum fresh biomass of flower (3.73 g) minimum flower diameter (9.340) cm, and the minimum number of leaves per plant (243.26) was observed from the T1 Control-No pinching.