GA₃ improves flower yield in some cucurbits treated with lead and mercury

Abstract

Present study reveals florigenic effects of growth hormones (i.e. gibberellic acid, GA₃) and heavy metals (i.e., Pb(NO₃)2 and HgCl₂) in Cucumis sativus L. and Momordica charantia L. Applied GA₃ at 400 ppm caused precocious flowering, increasing the number of pistillate and staminate flowers in both plants. Application of Pb(NO₃)₂ and HgCl₂ caused significant delay in flowering, consequently leading to reduction in number of flowers. However, when GA₃ was applied with Pb(NO₃)₂ and HgCl₂, there was less decrease in staminate and pistillate flowers, revealing the dominant effect of GA₃. It can be concluded that inhibitory effects of heavy metals on flowering were partially restored by phytohormones.

Keywords: Flowering, heavy metals, phytohormones