Impacts of gibberellic acid (GA3) on growth and yield of green beans (phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Northern Tanzania
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Date
2026-01-15
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Green bean production in Tanzania ranges from 6 to 8 t/h which is far below the potential yield of 15 to
20 t/ha, which is largely caused by poor soil fertility of most of Tanzania’s land. Gibberellic acids (GAs)
are naturally occurring growth-stimulating substances used to promote the growth and development of
many plant species. Therefore, the study was carried out to determine the effects of Gibberellic acid
growth hormone on the growth and yield of green beans at field conditions. The experiment was
conducted using Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications and five treatments at TARI
- Tengeru research farm from May to August 2023. Treatments were negative control, with three rates of
Gibberellic acid (6.25 g/ha, 12.5 g/ha, and 18.75 g/ha) and Snow Paushak (500 ml/ha) as positive control.
Data on growth and yield variables were collected at 33, 40, 47, 54, and 62 days after planting (DAP). The
results showed that the application of GA3 significantly (p<0.05) increased the leaf area index of green
beans at 33 DAP. Also, the application of GA3 at 40, 47, and 54 DAP significantly (p<0.05) affected the
plant height of green beans whereby GA3 (18.75 g/ha) showed the highest. The highest plant fresh weight
was recorded at GA3 at 12.5 g/ha (13.39 t/ha) with the equivalent of 11.86% yield increase, followed by
GA3 at 18.75 g/ha (12.72 t/ha) with the equivalent of 6.27% yield increase. This study concluded that the
use of 12.5 g/ha up to 18.75 g/ha GA3 can be used as an alternative foliar fertilizer since it has shown a
significant improvement in the yield of green beans. This will contribute to economic development and
livelihood by engaging communities in the production of green beans. Further study particularly on
economic aspects is recommended before upscaling of this practice.
Description
East African Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation
Keywords
Foliar fertilizer, Gibberellic acid, Green beans, Growth parameters, Yield attributes