EFFECT OF VERMIWASH AND PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON GROWTH AND STEM ANATOMY OF HIBISCUS CANNABINUS L.

Growth and development events in plants are controlled by growth regulators and Phytohormones. These are found naturally in plants. Environmental Pollution is one of the major problems and reactions caused by artificial growth regulators and their low biodegradability has urged us to search for new biofertilizers with growth-regulating activity. Vermiwash is a liquid fertilizer that has been shown to mimic phytohormones in bringing about growth-promoting effects. In the present study vermiwash at 100% and 50% concentration and Gibberellic acid treatment along with a control treatment with distilled water were given to Hibiscus cannabinus L.,a conventional fiber crop in order to determine the growth-promoting effect of vermiwash in comparison to Gibberellic acid. The results showed that vermiwash at lower concentration was able to bring about enhanced growth which has been observed as an increase in the height of the plant, length and width of internode and has been substantiated by an increase in the bast fiber zone as seen from the histological studies. It is thus revealed that vermiwash could be used to increase the fiber content and thus can be employed to exploit eco-friendly sources of fibers as a substitute for plastic.