FOLIAR APPLICATION OF SALICYLIC ACID AND ZINC SULPHATE LEVELS ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF SQUASH UNDER NET HOUSE CONDITION

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Horticulture Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka during the period from November 2020 to February 2021. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The experiment had two factors (Different levels of salicylic acid, S 0 = No salicylic acid (control), S 1 = 60 ppm of salicylic acid, S 2 = 90 ppm of salicylic acid and different levels of zinc, Z 0 = No zinc sulphate (control), Z 1 = 25 ppm of zinc sulphate, Z 2 = 50 ppm of zinc sulphate. Different levels of salicylic, zinc sulphate and also their combinations showed significant influence on different growth, yield contributing parameters and yield of squash. The treatment, S 2 showed highest results in fruit yield per plant (2.42 Kg), fruit yield per plot (9.68 kg) and fruit yield per ha (37.83 t) compared to control. In case of zinc treatments, the highest results in fruit yield per plant (2.59 Kg), highest fruit yield per plot (10.38 kg) and highest fruit yield per ha (31.74 t) were found from Z 1 compared to control. Likewise, the treatment combination of S 2 Z 1 (90 ppm of salicylic acid and 25 ppm of zinc sulphate) gave the highest fruit yield per plant (3.04 Kg) fruit yield per plot (12.18 kg) and highest yield per ha (47.57 t) where the lowest results were found from the treatment combination of S 0 Z 0 (control). The highest gross return (Tk 1189425), net return (Tk 881669) and BCR (3.86) were obtained from the treatment combination of S 2 Z 1 where the lowest was obtained from S 0 Z 0 . It can be concluded that from economic point of view, S 2

(90 ppm of salicylic acid and 25 ppm of zinc sulphate) treatment combination is suitable for squash cultivation than other treatment combination.