Effect of dates of sowing and bio-fertilizers on growth parameters and flowering traits in okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench]

The present investigation entitled effect of date of sowing and bio-fertilizers on growth parameters and flowering traits in okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] carried out at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Vegetable Science, Kalyanpur, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, during kharif season in the years of 2022–23 and 2023–24. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications and twelve treatment combinations, which included three dates of sowing viz., D₁ (1^st July), D₂ (15^th July), and D₃ (30^th July), and four levels of bio-fertilizers viz., B₀ (Control, no bio-fertilizer), B₁ (Azotobacter @ 3 kg/ha), B₂ (PSB @ 3 kg/ha), and B₃ (Azotobacter @ 3 kg/ha + PSB @ 3 kg/ha). Among the different treatment combinations, D₁ (1^st July sowing) with B₃ (Azotobacter @ 3 kg/ha + PSB @ 3 kg/ha), performed better than other treatments with respect to growth parameters such as days to 50% germination (5.25 days), plant height at 90 DAS (127.17 cm), number of branches per plant at 90 DAS (4.28), number of leaves per plant at 90 DAS (49.21), number of nodes per plant at 90 DAS (21.91), inter-nodal length at 90 DAS (8.19 cm), and flowering traits such as days to first flowering (41.50 days) and days to 50% flowering (43.58 days).