EFFECT OF COONTAIL, Ceratophlum demeresm L. EXTRACT ON GERMINATION AND GROWTH OF FOUR GENOTYPE OF CORN ( Zea mays) L.

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Dept. of Field Crop Sciences ,College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq on a silty loamy clayey soil during the two successive seasons 2007/08 and 2008/09 to investigate the effect of licorice and fenugreek extracts and GA3 on yield characters of caraway Carum carvi L. An RCBD design with three replicates was used under factorial arrangement by two factors, first factor levels were water, licorice ,fenugreek extracts and GA3.Second factor levels, were the stage of spraying for one time at vegetative, flowering stage and vegetative+ flowering stages. The results revealed that spraying of GA3 at flowering stage gave the highest conc. of carvone of (53.08%) for each season and oil of 3.00%, in the second season. The spraying at vegetative+ flowering stage gave the highest oil% of 2.17 in the first season. But in the second season was 2.79% under the spraying on vegetative stage. The fenugreek was superior in fruit yield and essential oil yield of 502.7 and 530.74 kg.ha-1 .and 9.74 and 13.78 L.ha-1. For each season, respectively. The spraying on vegetative stage had the highest fruit yield and essential oil yield of 486.8 and 485.19kg.ha-1. , 10.43 and 13.68L.ha-1. For each season, respectively. It was concluded that plant extracts were effective in increasing the yield traits.therefore; it could be used as plant growth regulators.