Evaluation of the Response of Vinca Catharanthus Roseus (L.) G. Don to Biofertilization and Foliar Application of 24-Epibrassinolide in Selected Vegetative, Floral, And Chemical Traits

Abstract

To evaluate the expected response of vinca to biofertilization and foliar application of the plant growth regulator EBL, the study employed a 3×3 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replicates, giving a total of 27 experimental units. The biofertilization factor included an uninoculated treatment B0, a combined bacterial BioNPK inoculant containing nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus- and potassium-solubilizing bacteria B1, and an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) inoculant B2. The foliar application factor included water with solvent E0, 0.01 µM E1, and 0.10 µM E2. The studied traits were plant height, shoot dry weight, number of flowers, flower diameter, total chlorophyll, and total soluble sugars. The experimental results showed significant effects of both factors and their interaction on all six traits, with B2E2 being superior; compared with B0E0, it increased the respective traits by 70.8, 88.5, 116.7, 34.8, 72.0, and 63.0%. These results indicate the potential integration of mycorrhizal inoculation with foliar application at 0.10 µM.