Growth and Yield of African Marigold Influenced by Pinching and GA₃: Study on effect of Pinching and Gibberellic acid on growth, flowering and yield of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.)

The study titled “Effect of Pinching and Gibberellic Acid on Growth, Flowering and Yield of African Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) under Prayagraj Agro-climatic conditions” was conducted at the Department of Horticulture, SHUATS, Prayagraj during the 2019 monsoon season. The experiment evaluated the impact of different pinching times and gibberellic acid (GA₃) concentrations on marigold growth, flowering, and yield. Twenty treatments, including combinations of pinching (30–45 days after transplanting) and GA₃ sprays (100, 200, and 300 ppm), were arranged in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. Results showed that these treatments significantly influenced plant height, number of branches, plant spread, number of buds and flowers, flower diameter, and yield. The best performance was recorded with treatment T13 (Pinching at 35 days + GA₃ 300 ppm), which produced the highest plant growth and maximum flower yield (about 13.21 t/ha). The study concluded that combining pinching with GA₃ application improves vegetative growth, flowering, and overall productivity of African marigold under Prayagraj conditions.