Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Optimising Kinnow mandarin productivity under rainfed conditions through foliar application of plant growth bioregulators

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11730
Submitted
10 September 2025
Published
30-09-2026

Abstract

Citrus, particularly Kinnow mandarin, holds a prominent position in the fruit industry worldwide. The study evaluated the effects of plant bioregulators on Kinnow mandarin at different stages of fruit development. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomised block design with 14 treatment combinations and three replications.  The 7 levels of hormonal applications were as follows: H1: naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) at 50 µM, H2: NAA at 100 µM, H3: gibberellic acid (GA3) at 150 µM, H4: GA3 at 300 µM, H5: methyl jasmonate (MeJA) at 200 µM, H6: MeJA at 400 µM, H7: Control and two stages of hormonal application [S1= at full spray flowering stage (FSFS) and cell division stage and S2 = at full spray flowering stage and cell elongation stage]. Among the treatment combinations evaluated, H₄S₂ (GA₃ at 300 µM applied at full-spray flowering stage (FSFS) and cell elongation stages) demonstrated the most pronounced improvement in reproductive attributes, notably enhancing FSFS, number of fruits per plant, total fruit yield (FY) and yield efficiency (YE). Additionally, this treatment also resulted in the lowest fruit drop (FD) percentage, indicating improved fruit retention. It was also superior in improving the physico-chemical properties of fruit, total soluble solids (TSS), acidity (Ac) balance, ascorbic acid (AA) content, sugars (total, reducing, non-reducing), phenolic compounds, carotenoids and antioxidant activity. Moreover, physiological responses such as relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll concentration and proline accumulation were also maximised under the H₄S₂ treatment regime, signifying improved plant health and tolerance to stress. In contrast, untreated control plants recorded the lowest values across all parameters. Overall, the study demonstrates that foliar application of GA₃ at critical growth stages, particularly FSFS and cell elongation, enhances both the yield and quality of Kinnow mandarin fruits while also improving the physiological resilience of the plant. These findings provide a practical framework for hormone-based spray scheduling aimed at sustainable citrus production in the rainfed region.

References

  1. 1. Ruchal OK, Pandey SR, Regmi R, Regmi R, Magrati BB. Effect of foliar application of micronutrient (zinc and boron) in flowering and FSting of mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) in Dailekh, Nepal. Malays J Sustain Agric. 2020;4(2):94-98. https://doi.org/10.26480/mjsa.02.2020.94.98
  2. 2. Sharma R, Sharma SK, Rana VS, Sharma K, Sharma H. Modulation of plant physiological activity for water stress resilience by foliar application of plant bio-regulators in Kinnow mandarin. S Afr J Bot. 2026;190:457-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2026.01.026
  3. 3. Sandhu S, Bal JS. Quality improvement in lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm.) through integrated management of fruit cracking. Afr J Agric Res. 2013;8(27):3552-57. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR2013.6876
  4. 4. Dhami KS, Asrey R, Sharma RR, Sagar VR, Dash S, Dubey AK. Pre-harvest methyl jasmonate spray maintains postharvest quality of Kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata) fruits. Indian J Agric Sci. 2021;91(10):1495-99. https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v91i10.117514
  5. 5. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2024 [Internet]. Rome: FAO; 2024 [cited 2026 Aug 11]. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd2971en
  6. 6. Kaur K, Gupta M, Rattanpal HS, Chahal TS, Singh G. Impact of foliar application of growth regulators on fruit splitting, yield and quality of daisy mandarin (Citrus reticulata). Indian J Agric Sci. 2024;94(2):181-86. https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v94i2.143183
  7. 7. Chen F, Zheng S, Cui N, Wang Z, Jiang S, Tan M, Li H, Zhao L, Liu C. Optimizing deficit irrigation and fertilization at growth stages to improve citrus yield, fruit quality and water-fertilizer productivity in semi-arid Southwest China. Agric Water Manag. 2026;327:110278.
  8. 8. Hifny HA, Khalifa SM, Hamdy AE, Abd El-Wahed AN. Effect of GA₃ and NAA on growth, yield and fruit quality of Washington navel orange. Egypt J Hortic. 2017;44:33-43. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejoh.2017.950.1003
  9. 9. Sihag R, Bakshi M, Bhandari N. PGR for controlling pre-harvest fruit drop and improving quality of Kinnow. Int J Agricult Stat Sci. 2019;15(1):231–5.
  10. 10. Iqbal N, Khan NA, Ferrante A, Trivellini A, Francini A, Khan MIR. Ethylene role in plant growth, development and senescence: interaction with other phytohormones. Front Plant Sci. 2017;8:475. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00475
  11. 11. Hitesbhai R, Johar V, Singh V. Effect of plant growth regulators on FS and quality of kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco). Environ Ecol. 2023;41(1):7-12.
  12. 12. Parauha S, Pandey SK. Influence of plant growth regulators and nutrients on fruit retention, yield and quality attributes of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Amrapali. J Pharmacogn Phytochem. 2019;8(2):550-55.
  13. 13. Kaur K, Gupta M, Rattanpal HS, Arora A, Sharma V, Singh S. Physiological and biochemical characterisation of split and healthy Daisy mandarin (Citrus reticulata Burm.) fruits. N Z J Crop Hortic Sci. 2025;53:1061-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/01140671.2024.2371970
  14. 14. Jain MC, Choudhary HD, Sharma MK, Singh B. Yield and quality attributes of Nagpur mandarin as affected by use of different plant growth regulators. Environ Ecol. 2014;32(3A):1141-45.
  15. 15. González-Aguilar GA, Tiznado-Hernández MT, Wang CY. Physiological and biochemical responses of horticultural products to methyl jasmonate. Stewart Postharvest Rev. 2006;2(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.2212/spr.2006.1.1
  16. 16. Shireen F, Jaskani MJ, Nawaz MA, Hayat F. Exogenous application of naphthalene acetic acid improves fruit size and quality of Kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata) through regulating fruit load. J Anim Plant Sci. 2018;28(4):1080-84.
  17. 17. Kumar R, Singh AK, Singh A, Renuka. Influence of different concentrations of Auxins and a broad spectrum fungicide on pre harvest fruit drop, physical and biochemical parameters of Kinnow Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco). Int J Adv Biochem Res. 2024;8(3):836-47. https://doi.org/10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i3j.842
  18. 18. Singh G, Maury RP, Meena DC, Choudhary Y, Singh P, Gourav RK, et al. Effect of 2,4-D, NAA and GA₃ on growth, yield and fruit quality of Kinnow (Citrus nobilis Lour × Citrus deliciosa Ten.). Pharma Innov J. 2023;12(10):1732-37.
  19. 19. Talaat NB, Nesiem MRA, Gadalla EG, Ali SF. Putrescine, in combination with gibberellic acid and salicylic acid, improves date palm fruit quality via triggering protein and carbohydrate accumulation and enhancing mineral, amino acid, sugar and phytohormone acquisition. J Plant Growth Regul. 2025;44:1249-65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-023-11134-5
  20. 20. Barrs HD, Weatherley PE. A re-examination of the relative turgidity technique for estimating water deficits in leaves. Aust J Biol Sci. 1962;15(3):413-28. https://doi.org/10.1071/BI9620413
  21. 21. Hiscox JD, Israelstam GF. A method for the extraction of chlorophyll from leaf tissue without maceration. Can J Bot. 1979;57(12):1332-34. https://doi.org/10.1139/b79-163
  22. 22. Bates LS, Waldren RP, Teare ID. Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant Soil. 1973;39:205-07. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00018060
  23. 23. Sharma OP, Bhat TK. DPPH antioxidant assay revisited. Food Chem. 2009;113(4):1202-05. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.08.008
  24. 24. Westwood MN. Temperate Zone Pomology: Physiology and Culture. Portland (OR): Timber Press; 1993.
  25. 25. Ranganna S. Handbook of analysis and quality control for fruit and vegetable products. 2nd ed. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited; 1986.p. 1112
  26. 26. AOAC. Official methods of analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 15th ed. Washington (DC): Association of Official Analytical Chemists; 1990.
  27. 27. Roy SK. A simple and rapid method for estimation of total carotenoid pigments in mango. J Food Sci Technol. 1973;10:38-42.
  28. 28. Kim DO, Jeong SW, Lee CY. Antioxidant capacity of phenolic phytochemicals from various cultivars of plums. Food Chem. 2003;81(3):321-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-8146(02)00423-5
  29. 29. Ranganna S. Handbook of Analysis and Quality Control for Fruits and Vegetable Products. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill; 1995. p. 1-21.
  30. 30. R Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing; 2023.
  31. 31. Tripathi JM, Khan BR, Gaur R, Yadav D, Verma KK, Gupta R. Gibberellic Acid Improves Photosynthetic Electron Transport and Stomatal Function in Crops That Are Adversely Affected by Salinity Exposure. Plants. 2025;14(21):3388. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14213388
  32. 32. Fu J, Li L, Wang S, Yu N, Shan H, Shi Z, et al. Effect of gibberellic acid on photosynthesis and oxidative stress response in maize under weak light conditions. Front Plant Sci. 2023;14:1128780. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1128780
  33. 33. Hosseinifard M, Stefaniak S, Ghorbani Javid M, Soltani E, Wojtyla Ł, Garnczarska M. Contribution of exogenous proline to abiotic stress tolerance in plants: A review. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(9):5186. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23095186
  34. 34. Zhai L, Wang L, Shah GA, Jing T, Bakhat HF, Zhao Y, et al. Exogenous Gibberellic Acid (GA3) Enhances Mango Fruit Quality by Regulating Resource-Related Metabolic Pathways. Plants. 2026;15(3):482. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030482
  35. 35. Prodhan MM, Sarker U, Hoque MA, Biswas MS, Ercisli S, Assouguem A, et al. Foliar application of GA₃ stimulates seed production in cauliflower. Agronomy. 2022;12(6):1394. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12061394
  36. 36. Patel KK, Kar A, Khan MA. Rapid Assessment of Some Physical Parameters of Mangoes Using Monochrome Computer Vision. Agric Res. 2021;10:468-82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40003-020-00517-9
  37. 37. Li X, Cai Z, Liu X, Wu Y, Han Z, Yang G, et al. Effects of Gibberellic Acid on Soluble Sugar Content, Organic Acid Composition, Endogenous Hormone Levels and Carbon Sink Strength in Shine Muscat Grapes during Berry Development Stage. Horticulturae. 2024;10(4):346. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10040346
  38. 38. Fenech M, Amaya I, Valpuesta V, Botella MA. Vitamin C content in fruits: Biosynthesis and regulation. Front Plant Sci. 2018;9:2006. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.02006
  39. 39. Hu W, Sarengaowa, Guan Y, Feng K. Biosynthesis of Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables. Front Microbiol. 2022;13:906069. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.906069
  40. 40. Ouamnina A, Alahyane A, Elateri I, Boutasknit A, Abderrazik M. Relationship between Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Some Moroccan Date Palm Fruit Varieties (Phoenix dactylifera L.): A Two-Year Study. Plants. 2024;13(8):1119. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081119

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.