International Journal of Plant & Soil Science

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is an economically important fruit crop valued for its nutritional quality and consumer preference. Optimising vegetative growth, flowering, and fruit development through efficient moisture management and the use of plant growth regulators is essential for improving crop performance under field conditions. The present investigation was conducted from November 2025 to March 2026 at the Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Faculty of Agriculture, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS), Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, to evaluate the effects of Pusa hydrogel and phytohormones on the vegetative growth, floral parameters, and fruit development of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) var. Winter Dawn. The experiment was arranged in a randomised block design (RBD) with three replications and twelve treatments: T0, control (water spray); T1, Pusa hydrogel 30 g; T2, Pusa hydrogel 60 g; T3, Cycocel 650 ppm; T4, Cycocel 1250 ppm; T5, triacontanol 100 ppm; T6, triacontanol 150 ppm; T7, Cycocel 400 ppm + Pusa hydrogel 25 g; T8, Cycocel 450 ppm + Pusa hydrogel 35 g; T9, Cycocel 500 ppm + Pusa hydrogel 45 g; T10, Cycocel 550 ppm + Pusa hydrogel 55 g + triacontanol 150 ppm; and T11, Cycocel 600 ppm + Pusa hydrogel 65 g + triacontanol 175 ppm. Significant differences were observed among treatments for vegetative growth, floral parameters, and fruit development. Treatment T10 recorded superior values for plant height (19.86 cm), number of leaves per plant (18.50), plant spread (23.64 cm), and petiole length (15.68 cm) at 120 days after transplanting. It also recorded 63.67 days to first flowering, 70.55 days to first harvest, 26.40 flowers per plant, 24.17 fruits per plant, fruit weight of 18.37 g, fruit length of 5.86 cm, fruit diameter of 4.10 cm, and fruit set of 91.54%.