Vol. 9, Issue 1, Part F (2025)

An experiment was conducted at the University Farm, Postgraduate Institute for Horticultural Sciences, SKLTSHU, Mulugu, Siddipet, during the rabi season from January to April 2024, to assess the impact of various plant growth regulators (PGRs) on the quality parameters of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Thunb.). The study was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with thirteen treatments, each replicated three times. The treatments included Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) at 100 ppm (T₁) and 150 ppm (T₂); Gibberellic acid (GA₃) at 30 ppm (T₃) and 40 ppm (T₄); Ethrel at 250 ppm (T₅) and 500 ppm (T₆); Triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) at 20 ppm (T₇) and 30 ppm (T₈); Maleic hydrazide (MH) at 100 ppm (T₉) and 150 ppm (T₁₀); Cycocel at 250 ppm (T₁₁) and 500 ppm (T₁₂); and a control (distilled water spray). Data were collected from five randomly selected plants per treatment. The results indicated a significant improvement in the quality parameters of watermelon, particularly with the application of TIBA at 30 ppm (T8), which produced the highest total soluble solids (TSS) of 11.80 °Brix, reducing sugars (3.45%), non-reducing sugars (4.80%) and total sugars (8.25%). This suggests that TIBA at 30 ppm is highly effective in enhancing the sweetness and overall quality of watermelon fruits, offering a viable approach to improving yield quality in commercial watermelon cultivation. These findings underline the potential of targeted PGR application in optimizing watermelon production.