EFFECT OF FOLIAR APPLICATION OF MORINGA LEAF EXTRACT ON VEGETATIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTIRRHINUM (ANTIRRHINUM MAJUS) AND STOCK (MATTHIOLA INCANA)

Moringa leaf extract (MLE) is considered to be effective in the field of crop production.Its foliar application on plants has a significant effect on the plant's vegetative and reproductive growth.This study was conducted to evaluate Moringa Leaf Extract foliar application on two floricultural crops viz.Antirrhinum majus.and Matthiola incana.Following treatments of MLE, i.e., 3, 6, 9, and 12% along with the control, were used, respectively.The experiment was laid out according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications.Data was analyzed using Fisher's analysis of variance technique, and treatment means were compared separately at 5% level of probability by applying the LSD test.Results showed that MLE 6% (T2) performed better in Matthiola plants regarding the majority of vegetative, floral, and physicochemical parameters, including plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, days to first flower bud formation, days to first flower bud opening, number of florets per spike, and NPK contents in leaves.On the other hand, in Antirrhinum plants, foliar application of MLE 12% (T4) performed better in the majority of growth, floral, and physico-chemical parameters.Therefore, it is concluded that there is no generalized dose of MLE for foliar application on all plants.To achieve better results from the foliar application of MLE for specific plants, the ideal concentration should be optimized.