Author(s): S.M. VAMAJA, D.S. BHATT, S.T. BHATT, S.L. CHAWLA, M.A. PATEL AND S.M. PATEL

Abstract: An investigation on effect of mulching on growth, flowering and yield of Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) cv. Ratlam Selection was carried out at Floriculture Research Farm, ASPEE College of Horticulture and Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat to know the usefulness of different synthetic and organic mulch during 2018-19. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications and nine treatments, consisting various types mulches viz., no mulching, black polythene mulch (30 µ), white polythene mulch (30 µ), yellow polythene mulch (30 µ), red polythene mulch (30 µ), silver polythene mulch (30 µ), sugarcane trash mulch @ 5 t ha-1, paddy straw mulch @ 8 t ha-1and dry grass mulch @ 6 t ha-1. The results revealed that plants mulched with sugarcane trash @ 5 t ha-1was noticed promising to increasing growth, flowering and yield parameters as compare to other mulches which registered maximum plant height (50.13 cm), plant spread in N-S direction (30.68 cm), plant spread in E-W direction (34.20 cm), leaf area (11.84 cm2), number of branches per plant (9.67), flower diameter (6.59 cm), flower stalk length (8.73 cm), flowering duration (66.73 days) with highest number of flowers per plant(79.27) and flower yield (219.03 g plant-1; 5.48 kg plot-1; 12.42 t ha-1). Thus, it can be concluded that sugarcane trash mulching @ 5 t ha-1 enhanced vigorous growth, improved flower quality with enhanced yield of flowers and found best to get highest net returns and benefit : cost ratio for the production of chrysanthemum cv. Ratlam Selection.

DOI: 10.22271/09746315.2021.v17.i3.1515

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