Influence of foliar spray of nutrients and gibberellins on yield improvement in Dendrobium orchid

Introduction

Dendrobium is a very significant orchid genius. It is also called as angel blossom among orchids (Gupta and Saravana, 2017). Dendrobium is one of the Orchidaceae family second biggest genera with around 1340 species and perhaps thousands of hybrids dispersed across the old world (Baker et al., 1996) [1] . The Konkan region in Maharashtra exhibits a distinctive tropical climate distinguished by elevated levels of humidity and moderate temperatures setting it apart from other areas within the state. The understanding is vital for enhancing cultivation techniques and guaranteeing the triumph of orchid cultivars in the region. The main agricultural activities in Konkan region revolve around the cultivation of rice, coconut and mango. However, the introduction of Dendrobium orchid cultivation can bring about a diversification in agriculture practices in area. This would not only provide farmers with additional income opportunities but also contribute to the overall horticulture economy of the region. At present, the productivity and quality of flowers are not much encouraging due to lack of proper nutrition and other scientific practices. To ensure maximization of productivity in any crop, nutrient supply is an important factor. Fertilization is generally a useful practice to fulfil plant nutritional need, it influences the yield and quality of crops where, foliar fertilization means the application via spraying of nutrients to plant leaves and stems and their absorption at those sites is one of the approaches to achieve an improvement in yield and quality of different flower crops. Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are the three important nutrients that play very important role in altering various growth, yield and quality attributes. Plant growth regulators also play a significant role in regulating plant growth and development. Among them, Gibberellins are known to promote cell elongation, stimulate vegetative growth and influence flowering behaviour in many ornamental crops. Application of Gibberellic acid has been reported to enhance spike length, number of florets and overall flower quality in several floricultural crops. Gibberellins (GA 3 ) are a group of growth promoting plant hormones influencing a range of developmental processes in higher plants. When supplemented with gibberellins a class of plant growth regulators known to promote cell elongation, division and enzyme activation, this treatment is expected to stimulate enhanced vegetative growth characterized by increased leaf area, pseudobulb development and root proliferation.

Material and methods

The study on "Influence of foliar spray of nutrients and gibberellins on yield improvement in Dendrobium orchid" was conducted at Hi-tech Nursery, Floriculture and Landscaping Department, College of Horticulture, Dapoli under Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri. The experiment was conducted during 2025-2026.

Experimental site

The field experiment was conducted at Hi-tech Nursery, College of Horticulture, Dapoli, Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri (M.S.) during 2025-2026.

Climate and weather condition

Dapoli, located on the west coast of Maharashtra, India (17° 44' N latitude, 73° 18' E longitude), exhibits a tropical climate characterized by high humidity (average 78%) and warm temperatures throughout the year. The region's altitude of 174 meters above mean sea level contributes to its warm and humid climate from May to October, with slightly cooler temperatures from November to February. A notable increase in temperature occurs from March to May.

Experimental details

Treatment details

Factor 'A' Factor 'B' Nutrients (NPK) (Weekly interval) N 1 19:19:19 @ 0.2% N 2 0:52:34 @ 0.2% N 3 13:0:45 @ 0.2% N 4 0:0:50 @ 0.2%

Results and discussion

The interaction significantly influenced plant height at all growth stages. N 1 G 1 [2] , Gajbhiye et al. (2017) [3] in gladiolus and Kumar et al. (2020) [4] in orchid.

The interaction between nutrient and GA 3 treatments was significant, indicating that the response of leaf area to GA 3 treatments varied with the nutrient treatments. The maximum leaf area was recorded under the N 1 G 1 combination (60.71 cm 2 ), whereas the minimum leaf area was recorded under the N 4 G 4 combination (55.67 cm 2 ). N 1 and G 1 proved superior, recording the highest leaf area, whereas N 4 and G 4 recorded the lowest values might be because of beneficial synergistic effect of nutrients and gibberellins together. The N 1 G 1 combination was the best treatment combination for enhancing leaf area, while N 4 G 4 recorded the minimum leaf area. This results are in accordance with Gajbhiye et al. (2017) [3] in gladiolus and Sunawan et al. (2020) [5] in Phalaenopsis ambilis.

Effect of nutrient and GA 3 treatments on on days required for spike emergence

The interaction between Nutrient and GA 3 treatments was significant.

The N 4 G 4 combination recorded the maximum number of days required for spike emergence (53.15 days), whereas the N 2 G 1 combination recorded the minimum (42.15 days). Thus, based on the available interaction values, the treatment combinations were ranked as N 4 G 4 (53.15 days) > N 2 G 1 (42.15 days).

F -Test

SIG SIG SIG F -Test

SIG SIG SIG F -Test

Effect of nutrient and GA 3 treatments on number of florets

The treatment combination N 1 G 1 recorded the maximum number of florets (7.32), whereas the N 4 G 4 combination recorded the minimum (4.42). The treatment combinations were ranked in descending order as N 1 G 1 (7.32 (4.42). Thus, the N 1 G 1 combination was the most effective for increasing the number of florets, while the N 4 G 4 combination recorded the lowest floret production. Synergistic effect of balanced nutrition and optimum GA 3 , might enhanced floral initiation and floret development. The similar findings are reported by Jawaharlal et al., (2004) [2] , G. Ashok Kumar et al. (2020) [4] .

Effect of nutrient and GA 3 treatments on flower longevity

The N 1 G 1 combination recorded the maximum flower longevity (46.15 days), whereas the N 4 G 4 combination recorded the minimum (32.04 days). Thus, the maximum flower longevity was observed under N 1 G 1 , while the shortest longevity was recorded under N 4 G 4 . The significant interaction effect of N × G, with maximum flower longevity under N 1 G 1 , indicates the synergistic influence of balanced nutrition and optimum GA 3 application.

Effect of nutrient and GA 3 treatments on number of spikes

The N 1 G 1 combination recorded the maximum number of spikes (3.50), whereas the N 4 G 4 combination recorded the minimum (1.68). Thus, the maximum number of spikes was observed under N 1 G 1 , while the lowest spike production was recorded under N 4 G 4 . The maximum spike number under N 1 G 1 (NPK 19:19:19 @ 1% + GA 3 @ 100 ppm) indicates the synergistic effect of balanced nutrition and optimum GA 3 application. The combined treatment improved vegetative growth, photosynthetic efficiency and assimilate supply, leading to enhanced spike initiation and development. The minimum under N 4 G 4 may be due to poor nutrient availability and ineffective hormonal stimulation. The findings are supported by Kumar et al. (2020) [4] in orchid, Sunawan et al. (2020) [5] , Sahu et al. (2025) [6] in Anthurium

Conclusion

The present investigation clearly demonstrated that foliar application of water-soluble nutrients and gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) significantly influenced the vegetative growth, flowering behaviour, flower quality, yield and economic returns of Dendrobium orchid under protected cultivation. The interaction between foliar nutrient and GA 3 treatments also had a marked influence on the crop. The treatment combination N 1 G 1 (NPK: 19:19:19 @ 0.2% + GA 3 @ 100 ppm) recorded the best overall performance by producing vigorous vegetative growth, higher number of spikes and florets and improved flower longevity on the plant. In contrast, the treatment combination N 2 G 1 (NPK: 0:52:34 @ 0.2% + GA 3 @ 100 ppm) was the most effective in reducing the time required for spike emergence, first flowering and flower harvest.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementAuthors are thankful to the Head, Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Horticulture, Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli (M.S.) for providing necessary facilities.

References

1. Baker ML, Baker CO. Orchid species culture -Dendrobium. Singapore: Timber Press; 1996. p. 852.
2. Jawaharlal M, Padma Devi K. Effect of biofertilizers on growth and flowering of anuthurium (Antuurium andreanum Lind.) cv. Temptation under protected shade net house. South Indian Hort. 2004;49:342-344.
3. Gajbhiye RP, Warkade VP, Badge SA, Moon SS. Growth and flowering of gladiolus as influenced by foliar application of GA and chemicals. Int. J. Res. Biosci. Agric. Techn. 2017;5(2):76-78.
4. Kumar AG, Jaya Jasmine A. Standardization of Nutrients and Growth Promoters in Dendrobium sonia "Earsakul". Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci. 2020;9(12):2783-2788.
5. Sunawan S, Handoko RNS, Rahayu IR, Afandhi A. GA3 and NPK Fertilization applications affect Phalaenopsis amabilis L. orchid for plant growth. Jurnal Pembangunan dan Alam Lestari. 2020;11(1).
6. Sahu S, Palai SK, Jena L, Pradhan P, Panda N, Tripathy P. Standardization of foliar spray of nutrients, growth regulators and bio-stimulants for vegetative growth & multiplication of potAnthuriums. Plant Science Today. 2025;12(1):1-10.
7. Cardoso JC, Ono EO, Rodrigues JD. Gibberellic acid in vegetative and reproductive development of Phalaenopsis orchid hybrid genus. Horticultura Brasileira. 2012;30(1):71-74.
8. Chen WS, Chang HY, Chen WH, Lin YS. Gibberellic acid and cytokinin affect Phalaenopsis flower morphology at high temperature. Hort Science. 1997;32:1069-1073.
9. Hagakl Y, Imamura JS. NPK requirements of Vanda Miss Joaquin orchid plant. M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Horticulture, Hawaii Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii; 2007. pp. 34-36.
10. Hew CS, Yong JWH. The physiology of tropical orchids in relation to the industry. 2nd edition, River Edge, N. J.: World Scientific; 2004.
11. How to cite this article: Bangar A, Dalvi N, Khanvilkar M, Thorat S, Chavan S, Gawari S. Influence of foliar spray of nutrients and gibberellins on yield improvement in Dendrobium orchid. International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science. 2026;8(9):1051-1053. doi: https://www.doi.org/10.33545/266484 4X.2026.v8.i9n.1988