M. R. Rayhan
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh
M. H. A. Rashid
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh
Gerbera, Variety, Inorganic fertilizers, Growth, Flowering
Landscaping Section of the Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh
Crop-Soil-Water Management
Gerbera, Fertilizer
An experiment was carried out at the Landscaping Section of the Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to study effect of variety and inorganic fertilizers on the growth and flowering of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) during the period from November 2017 to May 2018. The experimental location was situated at 24.6° N latitude and 90.5° E longitude (Edris et al. 1979). The experimental site was situated in the subtropical climatic zone and characterized by heavy rainfall during the month of April to September while scanty rainfall during the rest of the year (Anonymous, 1979). Meteorological data related to the temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and sunshine during the period of the experiment was collected from the Weather Yard, Department of Irrigation and Water Management, BAU, Mymensingh. The soil of the experimental area was silty loam in texture belonging to the Old Brahmaputra Flood Plain of AEZ (UNDP, 1988) having non-calcareous Dark Grey Flood Plain soil (FAO, 1988). The selected plot of the land was medium-high land. It was fertile and well-drained and slightly acidic with the PH varying from 5.5 to 6.8 (BRAC, 1989) The experimental plot was opened in the first week of November 2017 and then it kept open to the sun for seven days. Afterward, it was prepared by laddering. The weeds and stubbles were removed after each laddering. Simultaneously, the clods were broken and the soil was made into a good tilth. The basal dose of manures and fertilizer was mixed into the soil during the final land preparation. The seedlings of two gerbera varieties were collected from a commercial nursery of Jessore, Bangladesh. The experiment consisted of two cultivars viz., Variety 1 (V1) = Mini Daisy (Red), Variety 2 (V2) = Aladin (Pink), and four inorganic fertilizers viz., T0 = Control (no fertilizers), T1: Nitrogen (N) @ 300 kg/ha, T2: Phosphorus (P) @ 275 kg/ha, T3: Potassium (K) @ 225 kg/ha, T4: Combined treatment (N+P+K @ 300+275+225 kg/ha). The two-factor experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Each block was divided into 10 plots, where two varieties and five fertilizers treatments were allocated at random. So, the total number of experiment plots was 30 (2× 5× 3). The size of each plot was 1 m× 1 m. The distance between blocks l m and between plots 0.5 m was made to perform the intercultural operation. Urea, Triple super phosphate (TSP) and Muriate of potash (MoP) were used as the sources of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, respectively. The full dose of cowdung (20 t/ha), TSP and MoP were incorporated during the final land preparation according to treatments. Urea was applied in three equal installments at 30, 60 and 90 days after transplanting, respectively. Weeding was done manually as and when necessary from the experimental plots. Irrigation water was applied as and when necessary to maintain an appropriate level of soil moisture for gerbera cultivation. After each irrigation soil crust was broken down to maintain better soil aeration and conserve soil moisture. Diseases are a major factor limiting gerbera production. Gerbera was mainly infected by mites during the growing stage. The mite was controlled by spraying Omite @ 1.5 ml/L. The insecticide was sprayed one time after 7 days of planting of suckers. The experimental plant was also invaded by “Powdery mildew” during the early growing stage. The disease was controlled by spraying “Dithane M- 45”. The fungicide was sprayed two times at 15 days interval. Flowers were harvested when the outer two rows of disc florets were open. The flower stalk was bent on either side and plucked. The spikes were harvested from April 2018, when the flower reached the commercial stage (two whorls of ray florets open). Data on various parameters such as plant height, number of leaves per plants, length of leaves, the spread of leaves, days for first flower bud emergence, days for first flower opening, the total number of flowers produced, diameter of flower, length of the flower stalk, the diameter of the flower stalk, the total number of flowers produced, days to harvest maturity, field life (days) per plot and hectare were recorded from the sample plants during experimentation. Three plants were randomly selected for this purpose from each plot. Collected data for various characters were statistically analyzed using the MSTAT-C computer package program. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique was used to test the significance of differences among varieties and treatments. Means were separated using the least significant difference test (Gomez and Gomez, 1984).
Journal of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Vol 1 No 4 December 2020 Pages 6-12
Journal