Flowering, fruiting, and chlorophyll content of pruned and unpruned eggplant (Solanum melongena) cv. banate king influenced by GA3 and NAA

Eggplant styles vary in length, resulting in low fruit production. Exogenous application of plant growth regulators could reduce heterostyly. This study aimed to determine the effects and further improvements in the production of flowers and fruits of eggplant when Gibberellic acid (GA₃) and Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) were applied to pruned and unpruned plants alone or in combination. Horticultural and yield parameters were gathered manually from the experimental area. For physiological parameters, the supernatant of samples was separated, and the absorbance at 400-700 nm was measured using a UV-vis spectrophotometer for chlorophyll determination. All data from the split-plot design were subjected to analysis of variance, and further, Tukey’s Honest Significant Difference Test was applied to separate significant and insignificant means. Standing plants that were four months old were used as test plants using the Banate King cultivar for corrective pruning and exogenous hormones. This study was carried out in Mindanao, Philippines, during the summer of 2022, with distinct dry conditions. The pruning technique and foliar spraying did not affect the number of days to flower, days to harvest, or total number of flowers. The plants for which GA₃ was applied alone or in combination with NAA, on the other hand, were the longest. The NAA application contributed to the heavy weight of the fruits. Furthermore, the chlorophyll content of pruned plants increased by 25% compared to the control.