Influence of NAA and GA3 on Okra Growth, Flowering and Yield at Katahari, Morang (In Press, TURJAF)

What is this study about?

This is an accepted, not yet published, field study on how two plant growth regulators, naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and gibberellic acid (GA₃), affect the growth, flowering and yield of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) at Katahari, Morang district, in Nepal's eastern Terai. The manuscript, "Influence of Naphthaleneacetic Acid and Gibberellic Acid on Growth, Flowering, and Yield Performance of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) at Katahari, Morang, Nepal", was accepted in June 2026 by the Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology (TURJAF) and is in copyediting. Bishal Neupane is first author, with Sabina Upadhyaya, Sachin Chapagain and Sujan Mishra as co-authors.

Status note: because the article is in press, there is no journal page or DOI yet, and this summary deliberately reports only what is already public on the publications page and in the CV. Full numerical results will be added once the paper is published.

What was the main finding?

GA₃ at 100 ppm was the most effective treatment for okra growth and yield in this experiment. That is the headline result as stated on the publications page and in Bishal Neupane's CV, where the study is listed as his BSc thesis work on the effects of auxin (NAA) and gibberellic acid (GA₃) on okra in an RCBD experiment.

How the experiment was set up

The study was carried out during Bishal Neupane's research internship with the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project (PMAMP) in Morang, January to July 2025. From the publications page and CV, the following details are public:

The title shows that the study looked at flowering as well as growth and yield. Specific flowering measurements, treatment means and statistics are in the manuscript and are not reproduced here before publication.

Why NAA and GA3 for okra?

The two regulators work through different pathways. GA₃ promotes stem elongation and leaf expansion, so its effect is expected mainly on plant growth. NAA, a synthetic auxin, reduces premature dropping of flowers and young fruit, so its effect is expected mainly on pod set. Testing both, at more than one concentration, shows which pathway matters more for yield under a given set of field conditions.

How does it compare with the Sunsari okra trial?

Bishal Neupane is also second and corresponding author on a separate published okra study from the same region, the Sunsari okra growth regulator trial on cv. Parbati, led by Manwee Gupta. In that trial NAA at 150 ppm gave the highest pod yield, while a GA₃ + NAA combination gave the most vegetative growth. The Katahari study reached a different headline, with GA₃ at 100 ppm as the most effective treatment. The two experiments differ in site, treatment set and other conditions, so their results are not directly comparable, and different outcomes across sites are a common reason why regulator recommendations need multi-site testing. A side-by-side comparison will be possible once the Katahari paper is published.

What this means for students and researchers

• Regulator responses in okra depend on compound, rate and site; one trial rarely settles the best rate.
• An RCBD with ANOVA and LSD, run in R, is a sound and reproducible design for this kind of question; see analysing RCBD field trials in R with agricolae.
• Undergraduate thesis work done during an internship can reach peer review. The guide to building a research portfolio as an agriculture student in Nepal describes how.

How to cite (in press)

Neupane, B., Upadhyaya, S., Chapagain, S. and Mishra, S. (in press). Influence of Naphthaleneacetic Acid and Gibberellic Acid on Growth, Flowering, and Yield Performance of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) at Katahari, Morang, Nepal. Turkish Journal of Agriculture – Food Science and Technology.

Researchers interested in the full data before publication, or in collaborating on related work, can reach Bishal Neupane through the contact page.