Enhancing leaf nutrient status and stress tolerance in jackfruit plants (Artocarpus heterophyllus L. cv. Chandra) through the application of a thiourea plant bioregulator

Given the shifting climate, jackfruit is among the best minor fruit crops that can withstand drought. The effect of thiourea on leaf nutrient status and stress tolerance in jackfruit plants was investigated in a present experiment. The research comprised 9 different treatments of thiourea (0.25 %, 0.50 %, 0.75 %, 1.00 %, 1.25 %, 1.50 %, 1.75 % and 2.00 %) set out in randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. The foliar application of thiourea had a significant effect on the stress parameters. Among the different treatments, treatment T8 was recorded to be significantly superior to the other treatments. The minimum proline content (0.339 µmol. g-1) was found in treatment T8 (Thiourea 2.00 %) and other parameters such as stomatal conductance (7.58 mmol m-2 s-1), relative water content (RWC) (82.48 %), chlorophyll content (2.23 mg g-1), N content (1.59 %), P content (0.279 %), K content (0.572 %) and S content (0.218 %) were greatest in treatment T8 (Thiourea 2.00 %) at the time of final observation in March. Overall T8 (Thiourea 2.00 %) was superior to the other treatments for improving the growth and development parameters of jackfruit plants and in improving stress parameters.