Effect of stand geometry and plant growth regulators on root yield and alkaloid content of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal.).docVIP

Int. J. Med. Arom. Plants, ISSN 2249 – 4340 RESEARCH ARTICLE Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 390-395, September 2012 Effect of stand geometry and plant growth regulators on root yield and alkaloid content of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal.) Hari Yogendra SHUKLA* , Pravin Kumar SHUKLA 1,2 1 1 Department of Horticulture, Janta College, Bakewar, Etawah (UP), India Present Address: A. M. Todd Company India Pvt Ltd, Jagraon (Ludhiana) Punjab, India 2 Article History: Received 16 May 2012, Revised 20 August 2012, Accepted 21 August 2012. th th st Abstract: The present experiment has been carried out in the Department of Horticulture, Janta College, Bakewar, Etawah (UP) during two crop seasons of 2005-06 and 2006-07 in split plot design, using cultivars viz., cv. Poshita and cv. JA - 20 as main plot. Two planting distance 30 x 30 cm and 30 x 20 cm were used as sub plot. These plants were 2 2 raised in nursery bed and transplanted after 30 days of sowing. After 30, 60 and 90 days of transplanting the plants were sprayed with IAA 100 ppm, IAA 200 ppm, GA 50 ppm, GA 100 ppm, CCC 2000 ppm and CCC 3000 ppm solutions, whereas in control they were sprayed with distilled water (sub sub-plot). Observations were suggested the best combina- tion of plant growth regulators and stand geometry for higher yield and alkaloid content was CCC 3000 ppm with 30x20cm for cultivar JA – 20 and Poshita. Whereas Cv. Poshita appeared to be most suitable cultivar of ashwagandha 2 for cultivation as compare to JA – 20. Keywords: Plant growth regulators; stand geometry; root yield; alkaloid content; withanolide content; Withania somnifera Dunal. Introduction The leaf and root extract of the p