Effect of foliar application of varying doses of salicylic acid at different growth stages on growth, quality and nutrient uptake efficiency of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Background: The ubiquitous presence of salicylic (SA) acid in plant systems has been confirmed by many scientists. Salicylic acid is widely distributed throughout the plant and is proposed to affect a number of phyto-physiological activities. As an endogenous plant growth factor or a hormone SA has number of functions including florigenic and thermogenic role, part in plant-pathogen interaction, signal transduction, etc. Method: The present investigation was conducted at the Experimental Farm of the Division of Vegetable Science, SKUAST-K, during Kharif 2020 to find out the effect of foliar spray of varying doses of salicylic acid (SA) applied at different plant growth stages on growth and quality attributes of French bean var. Shalimar French Bean-1. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with twelve treatment combinations and three replications. Result: The investigation revealed that the treatment combination T1D2 (250ppm of SA applied at plant emergence stage) recorded minimum values for days taken to 50 per cent flowering and days taken to pod formation. Moreover, the same treatment combination T1D2 also recorded maximum values for plant height, number of primary branches plant-1, number of leaves plant-1 et al., leaf area and shoot dry weight plant-1. It was further revealed that in the treatment combination T1D2 maximum values of vitamin C content, TSS, protein content, leaf chlorophyll content and pod dry matter content were also recorded, while pod anthocyanin content was maximum in the treatment combination T2D2 (250ppm of SA applied at vegetative stage). The treatment combination T1D2 also significantly enhanced nutrient uptake efficiency of the plants and resulted in lowest values for the available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, soil EC and maximum values for organic carbon as compared absolute control. than absolute control D0.