Evaluation of Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) Cultivars under Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse

Author: Shreekanth, R.T. Patil, B. C. Patil, Naveen M. Puttaswamy, A.M. Nadaf and Sachinkumar T. Nandhimath

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Abstract

Among the flowers, gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii B.) is remarkable for the extra ordinary geometrical regularity of form. The demand for gerbera as both cut flower and an ornamental potted plant is steadily growing in the global market. This is primarily due to its elegant appearance, resilience, capacity to endure transportation and extended shelf life. An experiment was carried out to evaluate ten gerbera cultivars for growth, yield and quality parameters during the year 2022-2023 at Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture, Arabhavi, University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot. It was recorded that plant height was maximum in cv. Stanza (40.99 cm). Maximum values for leaf length (37.94 cm), leaf breadth (11.85 cm) and leaf area (7944.56 cm2) were recorded in cv. Balance. Higher number of leaves (33.16) and higher sucker production per plant (4.40) were recorded in cv. Intense. The same cv. Intense took less time for first flower bud initiation (41.68days) and flower opening (15.21 days). Maximum flower diameter was observed in cv. Balance (10.52 cm) and stalk length was found in cv. Forbes (57.10 cm). While stalk girth (6.52 mm), vase life (9.28 days), maximum number of flowers per plant (11.42) and meter square (102.81) were found more in cv. Intense. The overall study revealed that cultivar Intense exerted best performance on various growth and flower characters along with the cultivars Samara, Ankur and Balance.

Keywords

Cultivars, gerbera, protected cultivation, quality parameters, vase life, yield

Conclusion

Based on the current findings, it is evident that among the ten gerbera cultivars evaluated under protected cultivation, the cultivar Intense emerged as superior to all others. Cultivar Intense exhibited several notable attributes, including the maximum number of leaves, the highest number of suckers produced per plant, the shortest duration to first flower bud emergence, the quickest flower opening, the maximum stalk girth, an extended vase life, the highest number of flowers produced per plant and per square meter. Meanwhile, the cultivar Balance excelled in terms of leaf length, leaf breadth, leaf area and plant spread, as well as producing a significant number of flowers per plant. These findings highlight the varying strengths and qualities of these gerbera cultivars contributing to the overall understanding of their performance under protected cultivation. Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that the gerbera cultivars Intense, Ankur, Balance and Samara exhibit favourable performance under naturally ventilated polyhouse conditions. Furthermore, these four cultivars are recommended for adoption in commercial cultivation. Growers often opt for four to five cultivars and these cultivars are well suited for such practices as they offer a range of different colours that consumers prefer for floral arrangements.

References

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How to cite this article

Shreekanth, R.T. Patil, B. C. Patil, Naveen M. Puttaswamy4, A.M. Nadaf and Sachinkumar T. Nandhimath (2024). Evaluation of Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) Cultivars under Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 16(1): 141-145.