Compilation of questions and answers on ‘Cut Flower Crops’ for students.
Q.1. What are different uses of rose?
Ans. i. Shrub or bush
ii. Standard
iii. Climber
iv. Hedge
v. Edge
vi. Rock plant
vii. Pot plant
viii. Hanging basket plant
ix. Cut flower
x. Perfume and allied products
xi. Source of vitamins
xii. Potpourris and dry flowers.
Q.2. What are important characters in any cultivar of rose for its use as cut flower?
Ans. i. More number of petals
ii. Petals open slowly
iii. More longevity
iv. Attractive colour
v. Long and strong stem.
Q.3. What are important categories of rose?
Ans. i. Hybrid Teas (Hybrid perpetual x Tea rose) First cultivar La France (1867)
ii. Floribundas (Hybrid Teas x Perpetual polyanthas) First cultivar Rodhatte (1924)
iii. Hybrid perpetual (Off-springs of Rosa chinensis, R. gallica and R. centifolia)
iv. Teas or Tea scented China roses (Origin from Rosa chinensis and R. gigantea) First cultivar Anna Olivier (1872)
v. Grnadifloras (Hybrid Teas x Floribundas)
vi. Polyanthas (Ancestry of crosses of R. multiflora, R. wichuriana and R. chinensis) First cultivar La Paquerette (1875)
vii. China roses (Rosa chinensis)
viii. Miniatures
ix. Damask rose (Rosa damascena)
x. Bourbon rose (Rosa bourboniana)
xi. Cabbage rose (Rosa centifolia)
xii. French rose (Rosa gallica)
xiv. Musk rose (Rosa moschata)
xv. Rugosas (Rosa rugosa)
xvi. Australian briars (Rosa foetida/ lutea)
xvii. Moss roses (modified bristles looking like moss)
xviii. Ramblers (Rosa wichuriana, R. multiflora)
xix. Noisette roses (Rosa chinensis x R. moschata).
Q.4. What are important cultivars of cut roses for export?
Ans. Cora, Corvetti, Diplomat, Femma, First Red, Grand gala, Kiss, Konfetti, Lambda, Laser, Nicole, Noblesse, Osiana, Papillon, Parea, Pavrotte, Rodeo, Rossini, Sacha,,Samura, Sandy, Sangaria, Soledo, Susanne, Texas, Tineke, Vivaldi.
Q.5. What are important factors affecting growth and flowering of cut roses?
Ans. i. Environmental factors
ii. Management factors
iii. Harvest and post harvest factors.
Q.6. What are important environmental factors affecting growth and flowering of cut roses?
Ans. i. Temperature (Day: 18-28 and night: 15-18°C)
ii. Light (Photoperiod over 12 hours and intensity: 6000-8000 foot candles)
iii. Relative humidity (50-60%)
iv. Aeration (Good in air and soil)
v. Carbon dioxide (1000-3000 ppm).
Q.7. What is an ideal growing medium for cut roses?
Ans. i. Light, well drained
ii. pH 6.5
iii. EC less than 1.0
iv. Humus 10-12%
v. Important constituents are sand, coco-peat and rock-wool.
Q.8. What are different rootstocks for roses?
Ans. i. Rosa bourboniana
ii. Rosa indica var. Odorata
iii. Rosa laxa
iv. Rosa multiflora
v. Rosa noisettiana
vi. Rosa rugosa
vii. Rosa chinensis Rosa moschata
viii. IXL
ix. Dr. Huey
Q.9. At what time budding is done in rose?
Ans. i. N.I. plains- Nov.-Dec.
ii. Low hills- Dec.-Feb.
iii. Mid hills- Jan.-Mar.
iv. High hills- Feb.-April.
v. Pruning in roses should also be done during this period.
Q.10. What is optimum planting density and distance in roses?
Ans. i. Purpose of growing roses determines the planting density and spacing.
ii. In open 60 x 60 cm (Row-Row and Plant-Plant) or 60 x 30 cm.
iii. Closer spacing of 30 x 30 cm is now very common.
iv. In greenhouse single, double or four row planting system in bed is being followed and spacing of 30 x 25 cm is kept.
v. Optimum plating density in greenhouse is 60-70 thousand per hectare.
Q.11. What are different recommendations of nutrition being followed in rose in India?
Ans. i. N-60, P-20, K-20 (g/m2)
ii. FYM 5 Kg, P-50, K-25 (g/m2)
iii. Liquid feeding- Urea (2) : DAP (1) : KNO3 (1) (30 g/10 Litres)
iv. Ammonium Sulphate: SSP : MoP :: 2 : 4 : 3 (50-60 g/plant)
v. Urea: DAP : KNO3: K2PO4:: 2 : 1 : 1 : 1 (30 g/10 Litres).
Q.12. What are purposes of pinching in roses?
Ans. i. In pinching 2-5 unfolded leaves are removed.
ii. Reduces plant height
iii. Promote lateral branching
iv. Regulate flowering
v. Early pinching result in increased diameter of cane with more height.
Q.13. How rose plants are to be prepared for the next season?
Ans. i. Stop watering and nutrition after harvesting flowers, for about 4-8 weeks until most of the leaves drop.
ii. Do pruning up to 30-60 cm from ground level.
iii. Start slowly watering and nutrition.
Q.14. What is wintering of roses?
Ans. i. The base of the plant is exposed to sun and air by removing 10-15 cm deep soil layer in 20-30 cm plant periphery.
ii. After about a fortnight fill this with a mixture of well decomposed manure and do watering.
iii. Wintering of roses is very common in field grown roses in western part of Indians.
Q.15. What are important insect-pests of roses?
Ans. i. Red scales
ii. White ants
iii. Aphids
iv. Thrips
v. Red spider mites
vi. Jassids
vii. Chafer beetles
viii. Mealy bugs
ix. Stem girdler
x. Sawflies.
Q.16. What are important diseases of roses?
Ans. i. Die back (Diplodia rosarum, Colletotrichum sp.)
ii. Black spot (Diplocarpon rosae)
iii. Powdery mildew (Spaerotheca pannosa)
iv. Downey mildew (Peronospora sparsa)
v. Gray mould (Botrytis cinerea)
vi. Rust (Phragmidium sp.)
vii. Crown ball (Agrobacterium tumefaciens), and
viii. Wilt (Marmor flaccumfasciens) are important diseases of roses.
Q.17. Which is the major threat to the vegetatively propagated cut flowers and ornamentals?
Ans. i. Viruses
ii. Viroids, and
iii. Phytoplasma.
Q.18. What are the major viruses in roses?
Ans. i. Strawberry Latent Ring Spot Virus (SLRSV)
ii. Arabis Mosaic Virus (ArMV)
iii. Apple Mosaic Virus
iv. Tobacco Streak Virus
v. Prunus Necrotic Ring Spot Virus (PNRSV).
Q.19. What are different tools for diagnosis of viral diseases?
Ans. i. Electron microscopy
ii. Immuno sorbent electron microscopy
iii. ELISA
vii. Nucleic acid hybridization.
Q.20. Where the national facility for testing of viruses of flowers and ornamentals has been created in India?
Ans. IHBT (CSIR) Palampur (HP).
Q.21. What are different disorders in roses?
Ans. i. Bull head
ii. Bent neck
iii. Limp neck
iv. Blind shoot
v. Vascular plugging
vi. Deficiencies of Zn and (B).
Q.22. What is the optimum stage of harvesting cut roses?
Ans. i. For local market- When outer one/two petals start unfurling.
ii. For distant market- Fully coloured tight buds
iii. Loose flowers- Fully open flowers.
iv. White, pink and yellow cultivars are harvested earlier to red as red may not open if harvested at tight bud stage.
Q.23. What qualities the rose cut flower should possess?
Ans. i. Strong straight stem capable of holding the flower in upright position.
ii. Uniform stem length.
iii. Shape and size of flower representative of the cultivar.
iv. Uniform stage of development.
v. Flowers should be free from injuries of any kind or discolouration.
vi. Foliage should be healthy and of good quality.
Q.24. What are popular grades of cut roses?
Ans. i. Large flower cultivars: Stem length 60-90 cm and bud size 3-3.5 cm.
ii. Small flower cultivars: Stem length 40-50 cm and bud size 2-2.5 cm.
Q.25. How cut flowers of rose are packed?
Ans. i. In bundles of 10, 12, 20 or 25.
ii. In corrugated card board boxes of 100 x 32.5 x 20 cm (L x W x H) accommodates about 80-100 cut roses of 60-65 cm length.
iii. Wrap flower bunches in cellophane sleeves.
iv. Inline the boxes with tissue paper or newspaper.
Q.26. What is the common remedy to overcome post harvest diseases in cut roses?
Ans. Dipping cut roses in house hold bleach (Sodium hypochlorite—NaOCI) 200 ppm for one second reduces Botrytis infection by 95%, while treating for 30 seconds prevented the disease infection.
Q.27. What is optimum yield of cut roses?
Ans. i. Open field- 25-50 stems/m2/ year.
ii. Indian greenhouse- 150-200 stems/m2/year.
iii. European greenhouse- 350-400 stems/m2/year.
iv. Loose flowers: 3-5 ton/ha/year.
Q.28. From where carnation has origin?
Ans. Southern Europe (France)
Q.29. When did it was introduced in India?
Ans. Around 1980
Q.30. Why carnation became so popular?
Ans. i. Excellent vase life
ii. Wide range of flower colours and forms
iii. Ability to withstand long distance transportation
iv. Rehydrate easily
v. Lighter weight.
Q.31. In which countries carnation is being commercially grown?
Ans. Italy, Spain, Columbia, Kenya, France, the Netherlands, Israel, USA, etc.
Q.32. Which countries are major importers on carnation?
Ans. Germany, France, UK, USA, Canada and the Netherlands.
Q.33. Which countries are major exporters on carnation?
Ans. Colombia, Kenya, the Netherlands, Israel, Spain, Italy, Peru, Greece and Mexico.
Q.34. What are important cultivars of carnation for export?
Ans. Dona, Pink Dona, Malaga, White Dona, Rony, Rhodes, Lipstick, Empire, Romana, White Tendra, Corleone, Design, Natila, Dark Tempo, Bagatel silvery pink, Solar, Cobra, Pendy, Lorella, Cabaret, Tanga, Sonsara, Dakar, Liberty, Solar, Green Lady, Tempo, Varna, Sun Shine and Charment.
Q.35. What are different types of carnations?
Ans. i. Border or outdoor carnations
ii. Greenhouse or florist or perpetual carnations.
Q.36. What are different types of border carnations?
Ans. i. Self (Single colour)
ii. Fancies (yellow or white background mottled with various colours)
iii. Picotees (White or yellow with narrow bands)
iv. Bizarres (2 or 3 colours)
v. Flakes (Clear ground flaked with one colour)
vi. Marmaison (Plants with stiff massive habit, with broad leaves fully double flowers, pink, well filled centre and fragrant flowers).
Q.37. What are different types of florist carnations?
Ans. I. Standard:
Ability to produce single large sized bloom if timely disbudding and proper nutrition is applied.
Better adapted in cool climate. Important cultivars are:
1. Red- Scania, Tanga, Red William, Granda, Espana, Master, Killer.
2. Pink- Pamir, Nora, Lena, Sharina, Pink Sim, candy, Manon, Oriana.
3. Yellow- Pallas, Raggio di Sole, Candy, Yellow Dusty, Murcia, Tahiti.
4. White- White Sim, Roma, Candy, Calypso, Sonsara.
5. Orange- Tangerine Sim, Orange Triumph.
6. Others- Charmeur, Aurthor Sim, Toledo, Solar, Laurella, Vanessa.
II. Spray:
Ability to produce small to medium sized numerous flowers and bloom size do not increase irrespective of disbudding and best fertilizer application. Better adapted in warm climate than standards.
Important cultivars are:
1. Red- Rony, Karma, Enzo, Etna, Peach Delight, Vermillion Protruding.
2. Pink- Annelies, Barbara, Silvery pink, Madea, Karina, Medley.
3. Yellow- Yellow Odeon, Alicetta, Lior, Goldilocks.
4. White- White Royallete, Tibet, Iceland, Excel, Equisite, White Lilia.
5. Others- Twinkle, Exquisite, Kissi, Luna, Mirage, Macarena.
III. Micro Carnations:
Eolo, Pink Eolo, Wiko.
IV. Mini Carnations:
Lima, Orca, Roland.
Q.38. What factors affect the growth and flowering of carnations?
Ans. i. Light- Photoperiod (long days over 16 hours) and intensity (100 watts bulb spaced at 10.5m at 1.5 m height)
ii. Temperature- Night (winter: 10-11°C, spring: 12.7°C and summer: 13-15.4°C) and day (18-23° C)
iii. Ventilation- Free circulation of air
iv. Relative humidity- 50-60%.
v. CO2– 500-1500 ppm.
Q.39. What are different methods of propagation of carnations?
Ans. i. Seeds
ii. Terminal stem cuttings (8-10 cm long with 4-6 leaf pairs)
iii. Micropropagation.
Q.40. How carnations are propagated by terminal stem cuttings?
Ans. i. Terminal cutting of 8-10 cm long is taken.
ii. Shear off lower most 1-2 leaf pairs.
iii. Give sharp cut below node.
iv. Dip the cuttings in a solution of Dithane M. 45 (0.1%) + Bavistin (0.1%) for 5 min.
v. Put the lower end of cuttings in a solution of NAA or IBA 500 ppm for 5 sec.
vi. Plant the cuttings in sterile sand at a spacing of 3 x 3 cm.
vii. Spray water 4-5 times in a day so that 90% or more humidity is maintained.
viii. Temperature: 20-30°C is ideal.
ix. Rooting occur in 3-4 weeks.
x. Transfer these rooted cuttings to a hardening chamber in mini portable tunnels (3 x 1.5 x 15 m :: w x h x I) in a sterilized medium (sand: soil: FYM: rice husk one part each) for about 3-4 weeks.
Q.41. What are important management factors affecting growth and flowering of carnations?
Ans. i. Soil or medium condition
ii. Spacing
iii. Nutrition
iv. Pinching
v. Disbudding
vi. De-shooting
vii. Plant support (staking).
Q.42. What is ideal soil for growing carnations?
Ans. i. Light texture loam or sandy loam soil which is well drained and aerated.
ii. Soil pH: 6-7
Q.43. What is the optimum planting time of carnations in different regions?
Ans. i. N.I. plains: Sep.-Oct.
ii. Low hills: Sep.-Nov.
iii. Mid hills: Jan.-Feb.
iv. High hills: Mar.-April
v. Northern hemisphere: April-Sep.
vi. Southern Hemisphere: Sep.-April
vii. Staggered planting at 15 days interval ensure regular supply of cut flowers.
Q.44. What is the optimum planting density and spacing in carnations?
Ans. i. Ordinary- 25-32 plants/m2.
ii. High- 40 plants/m2
iii. Standards- 20 x 20 cm
iv. Spray- 30 x 30 cm.
Q.45. What is the optimum level of major nutrients in carnations for quality cut flowers?
Ans. i. N: 5.4%, P: 0.31%, K: 3.8%
ii. Standards- FYM: 5 kg, N: 30g, P: 20g, K: 10g/m2
iii. Spray- FYM: 5 kg, N: 40g, P: 20g, K: 10g/m2.
Q.46. What is the optimum level of soil moisture during crop growth in carnations?
Ans. Optimum soil moisture is 300-500 cm tension.
Q.47. How pinching is done in carnations?
Ans. In pinching terminal growing shoot about 2-3 cm long is removed to overcome apical dominance and to promote side branching when the plants are at 6-8 leaf pair stage.
It is done in four ways to regulate flowering in carnations:
i. Single Pinching:
In single pinching terminal growing shoot about 2-3 cm long is removed once in all the shoots.
ii. Pinch and a Half:
First pinching is done in all the shoots. When the side shoots are 6-8 cm long and this stage occur at 40-50 days after pinching, then half of the shoots are again pinched. This increases the duration of flowering.
iii. Pinch Plus Pull Pinch:
First pinching is done in all the shoots. Later on keep removing the shoots by pulling up to 2 months, so as to get single large peak flowering.
iv. Double Pinching:
First pinching is done in all the shoots. When the side shoots are 6-8 cm long and this stage occur at 40-50 days after pinching, then again do the pinching in all the shoots. This delays the flowering and flower quality is also poor.
iv. In marguerite and annual carnations pinching is done at 40 and 60 days after transplanting.
Q.48. How to do de-shooting in carnations?
Ans. i. When the side shoots after pinching are 3-5 cm long then retain 3-5 shoots per plant in standard cultivars.
ii. When the side shoots after pinching are 3-5 cm long then retain 6-10 shoots per plant in spray cultivars.
Q.49. How to do disbudding in carnations?
Ans. i. Disbudding is the removal of visible (5-10 mm diameter) undesirable buds.
ii. In standard cultivars terminal bud is retained and all the lateral buds are removed.
iii. In spray cultivars terminal bud is removed and lateral buds are retained.
Q.50. How to do staking in carnations?
Ans. i. Wire mesh, plastic nets, string or bamboo canes are used to support plants.
ii. Wire mesh or plastic nets having inner size of 10-15 cm squares are placed on the ground in three layers, which are erected at 20, 35 and 50 cm above the ground level with the growing plants.
iii. String or rope is erected in three rows at the same distance along the rows.
Q.51. How to do weeding in carnations?
Ans. i. Three-four hand weeding.
ii. Chemicals viz., oxidiazon and napropamide @ 2.2 and 4.5 kg a.i. per hectare are good in greenhouse.
iii. In open fluchloralin (basalin) and pendimethalin (stomp) @ 1.0 a.i. per hectare each are effective.
Q.52. What is the optimum stage of harvesting cut flowers of carnations?
Ans. i. Standard cultivars for local market are harvested when flowers are half opened or at painting brush or outer petal is perpendicular to stem, while for distant market cross is developed on buds and colour is visible.
ii. Spray cultivars are harvested for local market when two flowers have opened and others have shown colour, while for distant market when 50% flowers have shown colour.
iii. For loose flowers fully open flowers are harvested.
Q.53. What qualities the carnation cut flower should possess?
Ans. According to Society of American Florists the following characters any carnation cultivar must possess:
i. Bright, clean and firm flowers and leaves.
ii. Fairly tight petals near the centre of the flowers.
iii. Symmetrical flower shape and size representative of the cultivar.
iv. No calyx splitting.
v. No lateral buds or suckers.
vi. No decay or damage.
vii. Straight stem and normal growth.
Q.54. What are different local grades of carnation cut flowers?
Ans. Based on minimum stem length (cm).
i. A- over 45 cm
ii. B- 30-45 cm
iii. C- less than 30 cm
Q.55. How cut flowers of carnation are packed?
Ans. i. In bundles of 10, 12, 20 or 25.
ii. In corrugated card board boxes of 120 x 60 x 30 cm (L x W x H) accommodates about 800-1000 cut flowers of carnation.
iii. Wrap flower bunches in cellophane sleeves.
Q.56. What is the ideal pulsing solution in carnations?
Ans. STS 0.5 mM + BA 25 ppm + sucrose 5% for 20 minutes.
Q.57. What is the ideal holding solution in carnation?
Ans. Sucrose 2% + 8-HQC 200 ppm.
Q.58. What are important diseases of carnations?
Ans. i. Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi)
ii. Foot- rot (Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiarum)
iii. Stem rot (Fusarium roseum)
iv. Flower bud rot (Alternaria dianthi)
v. Bacterial wilt (Pseudomonas caryophylli)
vi. Rust (Uromyces caryophyllinus or U. dianthi)
vii. Flower blight (Botrytis cinerea)
viii. Fairy ring spot (Heterosporium echinuiatum)
ix. Viral diseases.
Q.59. What are important insect-pests of carnations?
Ans. i. Aphids
ii. Red spider mites
iii. Heliothis caterpillars
iv. Nematodes
Q.60. What are the major viruses in carnations?
Ans. i. Carnation necrotic fleck virus
ii. Carnation latent virus
iii. Carnation mottle virus
iv. Carnation etched ring virus
v. Carnation vein mottle
vi. Carnation ring spot virus.
Q.61. What are important disorders of carnations?
Ans. i. Calyx splitting
ii. Grassiness
iii. Sleepiness
iv. Splitting at nodes and bushiness
v. Small narrow leaves and tied tips.
Q.62. What are causes of calyx splitting and how it can be controlled?
Ans. i. Fluctuation of temperature
ii. Night temperature should not be below 10°C
iii. Use of more nitrogenous fertilizers
iv. More during spring than winter
v. Vary from cultivar to cultivar.
vi. Do rubber banding before flower opening.
Q.63. What are causes of grassiness and how it can be controlled?
Ans. i. No flower production.
ii. Genetically related disorder.
iii. Vary from cultivar to cultivar.
iv. Remove and destroy all such plants.
Q.64. What are causes of sleepiness and how it can be controlled?
Ans. i. There is temporary or permanent wilting of flowers.
ii. It is due to exposure to ethylene or water stress or higher temperature.
iii. Spray STS 0.4mM before harvesting
iv. As a replacement for STS keep cut flowers in 1-MCP (Methyl Cyclo-Propene) 10-20 ppb for 6-12 hours.
Q.65. What are causes of splitting of nodes and how it can be controlled?
Ans. i. Poor shoots developed through gaps.
ii. Poor flower quality.
iii. Boron deficiency.
iv. Apply boron @ 2g/m2.
Q.66. How tinting is done in carnations?
Ans. A concentrated liquid or powder colour is mixed in small amount of warm pure water (37°C) and stems are placed in it. The colour develops in different patterns on the petals after 10-24 hours.
Q.67. What is optimum yield of carnations?
Ans. i. Standard- 4-6 stems/plant
ii. Spray- 8-12 stems/plant
iii. Average yield 200-300 flower stems/m2/year.
Q.68. From where chrysanthemum has origin?
Ans. Northern hemisphere in China.
Q.69. What are different bases of chrysanthemum classification?
Ans. i. Inflorescence
ii. Photoperiod
iii. Temperature.
Q.70. What are different uses of chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. Cut flowers
ii. Loose flowers
iii. Pot mum
iv. Hanging baskets
v. Bedding
vi. Border plant.
Q.71. What are different classes of chrysanthemum on the basis of form of inflorescence?
Ans. i. Single
ii. Anemone
iii. Korean
iv. Double
v. Decorative
vi. Pompon
vii. Incurved
viii. Incurving
ix. Reflexed
x. Quill
xi. Fuji
xii. Spider.
Q.72. What are different classes of chrysanthemum on the basis of temperature?
Ans. i. Thermo-positive:
Low temperature between 10-27°C inhibit or delay bud initiation which occur more consistently at 16°C. High temperature over 27°C accelerates bud initiation but delay flowering.
ii. Thermo-Negative:
Bud initiation occurs at low to high temperature (10-27°C) but high temperature delays development of buds.
iii. Thermo-Zero:
Flowering occurs at any temperature between 10-27°C, more consistently ay 17°C night temperature.
Q.73. What are important cultivars of chrysanthemum for export?
Ans. Snow ball, Snow Don White, Surf, Mountaineer, Sonar Bangla, Bright golden, Anne, Chandrama, Ajay, Birbal Sahni, Lehmans, Nanako, Sonali Tara, Poornima, Tata Century, Thai Ching Queen, White Bouquets, etc.
Q.74. What are important off-season blooming cultivars of chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. April-June- Himanshu, Jawala, Jyoti
ii. July-Aug.- Phuhar
iii. Sep.-Oct.- Ajay, Sharda
iv. Oct.-Nov.- Makhmal, Megami, Mohini, Sharad har
v. Nov.-Dec.- Normal season cultivars
vi. Jan.-Feb.- Jaya, Lilith, Suneel, Vasantica.
vii. Feb.-Mar.- Maghi.
vii. Flowering of these cultivars is recorded at NBRI, Lucknow as these cultivars are developed in this institute.
Q.75. What are important factors affecting growth and flowering of chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. Genotype
ii Soil- Sandy-loam, pH: 6.2-6.7
iii. Light (Intensity: 1.2-1.6 MJ/m2/day, Quality: 600-800nm, Photoperiod: less than 9.5 hours)
iv. Temperature (night: 10-16°C, day: 18-21°C)
v. CO2: 500-1 OOOppm
vi. Nutrients
vii. Pinching (Twice after 4 and 8 weeks of transplanting)
viii. De-shooting (retain 4-5 shoots in standard and 8-12 shoots in spray cultivars)
ix. Disbudding (remove lateral buds in standard and terminal bud in spray cultivars).
Q.76. How chrysanthemum is propagated?
Ans. i. Terminal stem cuttings (4-5 cm) during June-July
ii. Suckers during February to April
iii. Micropropagation
iv. Seeds (Problems of self-incompatibility and hetero-genety).
Q.77. What is the optimum planting density and spacing for growing chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. Greenhouse cut flowers: 40-54 plants/m2.
ii. Loose flowers: 30 x 20 cm or 20-25 plants/m2
iii. Standards: 20 x 20 cm
iv. Sprays: 30 x 30 cm
v. Pot mums: 3-5 cuttings/pot (15 cm).
Q.78. What is optimum level of nutrients in the healthy plants of chrysanthemum?
Ans. N (4.5-6%), P (0.26-1.2%), K (3.5-10%), Ca (0.5-4.6%), Mg (0.14-1.5%), S (0.30-0.75%), Mn (195-260ppm), B (25-200ppm), Cu (10ppm) and Zn (7.3ppm).
Q.79. What is the optimum dose of nutrients in chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. FYM: 3-5 kg/ m2
ii. N : P : K :: 30 : 10 : 15 (50-60g/m2)
iii. Loose flowers: FYM: 10-15 ton, N: 150 kg, P: 100 kg, K:120 kg/ ha)
iv. Spray of light solution of cake + SSP at bud developing stage is very beneficial.
v. Apply nitrogen through CAN source as urea causes phyto-toxicity.
Q.80. What are important diseases of chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. chrysanthemi)
ii. Stem and foot rot (Rhizoctonia solani)
iii. Root rot (Pythium, Phytophthora spp.)
iv. Bacterial rot (Erwinia chrysanthemi)
v. Powdery mildew (Oidium chrysanthemi)
vi. Lleaf spot and flower blight (Alternaria, Septoria spp.)
vii. Gray mould (Botrytis cinerea)
viii. Viral diseases (chrysanthemum stunt viroid, tomato spotted wilt, tomato aspermy, flower distortion, chrysanthemum mosaic, chrysanthemum rosette, chrysanthemum B Carla virus, topovirus, potyvirus, etc.
Q.81. What are important insects of chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. Aphids
ii. Red spider mites
iii. Hairy caterpillars
iv. Thrips
v. Grubs
vi. Leaf miners
vii. Nematodes.
Q.82. What are important disorders in chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. Premature budding
ii. Quilling of florets
iii. Crown bud formation
iv. Heat delay
v. Petal burn.
Q.83. What are different stages of harvesting chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. Standards- When outer row of florets start unfurling for distant market and for local market half opened flowers.
ii. Sprays- Harvested for local market when two flowers have opened and others have shown colour, while for distant market when 50% flowers have shown colour.
iii. Loose Flowers- Fully open flowers
iv. Pot mums- 50% buds have developed colour.
Q.84. How cut flowers of chrysanthemum are packed?
Ans. i. In bunches of 10, 20 or 25.
ii. In corrugated card board boxes of 91 x 43 x 15 cm (L x W x H) accommodates about 80-100 cut flowers of chrysanthemum.
iii. Wrap flower bunches in cellophane sleeves.
Q.85. What is optimum yield of chrysanthemum?
Ans. i. Standard- 2.5 to 4.5 lakh/ ha
ii. Spray- 1.5-1.75 lakh/ ha
iii. Loose flowers- 8-15 ton/ha
iv. Greenhouse yield 150-250 flower stems/m2/year.
Q.86. Who coined the word gladiolus?
Ans. Pliny the Elder coined it from Latin word gladius meaning a sword like on account of its sword like foliage.
Q.87. From where gladiolus origin?
Ans. i. Tetraploid species- South Africa
ii. Diploid species- Europe.
Q.88. What are peculiarities of gladiolus?
Ans. i. Grown for cut flowers, borders, bedding, pots, bouquets and floral arrangements.
ii. Florets open acropetally forming a natural progression of different stages of floret opening.
iii. Corms are very rich in vitamin C, carbohydrates and proteins.
Q.89. What are important species of Gladiolus?
Ans. There are about 120 species under Gladiolus genus and important of these are:
i. G. atroviolaceus
ii. G. communis
iii. G. cardinalis
iv. G. floribundus
v. G. gandavensis
vi. G. grandiflorus (All modern day cultivars are designated in it)
vii. G. hybridus
viii. G. primilinum
ix. G. psittacinus
Q.90. What are important cultivars of gladiolus for export?
Ans. Cartago, Eurovision, Priscilla, Spic & Span, Nova, Peter pears, Mayur, American Beauty and Topaz.
Q.91. What are important factors affecting growth and flowering of gladiolus?
Ans. i. Soil- Sandy loam, pH- 5.5-6.5, organic matter- about 1% and optimum soil moisture
ii. Temperature (Day-18-25°C, Night- Not less than 10°C)
iii. Light (Low light intensity is very harmful at 4-6 leaf stage and early blooming in short days during winter with less number of florets)
iv. Relative humidity: 60-70%.
Q.92. When is the optimum time of planting gladiolus in different regions?
Ans. i. N.I. plains- Sep.-Nov.
ii. Bangalore- Through out year, but good in Dec.-Jan. and June.
iii. Low hills- Aug.-Feb.
iv. Mid hills- Feb.-April
v. High hills- Mar.-May.
Q.93. What are different methods of propagation of gladiolus?
Ans. i. Seeds
ii. Corms
iii. Cormlets
iv. Cormels
v. Pieces of corms
vi. Scoring
vii. Micropropagation.
Q.94. What factors determine the level of dormancy in corms of gladiolus?
Ans. i. Cultivar
ii. Season (More in crop grown during summer than winter crop)
iii. Temperature (More when high temperature during corm development)
iv. Photoperiod (More in long days than short days)
v. Light (More in crop grown under high light intensity).
Q.95. What are different methods to break dormancy of gladiolus corms?
Ans. i. Low temperature storage for 2-3 months at 4-7°C
ii. Ethylene chlorohydrin (4-5 drops/ litre container for a week)
iii. Dip corms in thiourea 500 ppm solution for 24 hours
iv. Dip corms in GA3 50 ppm solution for 30 min.
v. Dip corms in BA 25-50 ppm solution or 10% H2S for 30 min.
vi. Dip corms in Garlic paste for 30 min.
Q.96. How dormancy can be checked in corms of gladiolus?
Ans. i. Tetrazolium test (Cut corms are put in this solution and more redness means less dormancy).
ii. Swollen buds or root primordia in corms.
iii. Dormancy is due to accumulation of more abscisic acid and less growth promoting hormones.
iv. Dormancy is mainly due to linolinic, linoleic, stearic and palmic acids.
Q.97. How corm treatment is done in gladiolus?
Ans. i. Dip corms for about 20 minutes in a solution of Emisan (0.2%), Thiram (0.3%), Captan (0.2%), Bavistin (0.2%) or Benlate (0.2%).
ii. Dry in shade before planting or storing.
iii. Before planting treat corms in systemic fungicide and before storing in contact fungicide.
Q.98. Which factors determine the planting density and spacing of planting corms of gladiolus?
Ans. i. Purpose of cultivation whether for cut flowers, planting material or both
ii. Nutrient status of the soil
iii. Corm size
iv. Cultivation in greenhouse or open fields
v. Low planting density results in wastage of inputs and very high planting density leads more plant competition, thus reducing individual corm enlargement.
vi. For economic returns the optimum planting density worked out at different places is as follows:
a. IARI New Delhi- 40 x 15 cm
b. UAS Bangalore- 30 x 25 cm
c. IIHR Bangalore- 30 x 20 cm
d. PAU Ludhiana- 30 x 20 cm or 36-63 corms/m2
e. BSI Kolkata- 20 x 25 cm
f. Greenhouses- 10×10 cm.
Q.99. What is the ideal planting depth for gladiolus corms?
Ans. i. Planting depth depends upon the purpose of gladiolus cultivation, soil type and corm size
ii. It should be 2.5 times than the diameter of corms
iii. Planting depth of 8-10 cm is ideal for production of quality cut flowers and corms.
Q.100. What are different methods of planting gladiolus?
Ans. i. Flat beds in plains
ii. Ridges in hills.
Q.101. What is the optimum status of different nutrients in the healthy foliage of gladiolus?
Ans. N- 2.6%, P- 0.24%, K- 2.3%.
Q.102. How much irrigation is required in gladiolus?
Ans. i. Soil should have 60-70 per cent moisture of field capacity
ii. No watering is required until corms sprout
iii. Depending upon weather 8-12 irrigations of 2.5-5 cm depth are required
iv. Stage immediately after sprouting and 4-6 leaf stage are very sensitive to water deficit.
Q.103. How plants are supported in gladiolus?
Ans. i. Earthing up to 10-15 cm height is done when plants are at 4-6 leaf stage or when plants are 15-20 cm high
ii. Hoeing should not be done at swelling of flower spikes
iii. Staking with bamboo or wooden sticks is done in beds.
iv. String or rope may be tied in three rows along the plant-rows to avoid lodging of plants.
Q.104. How weeding is done in gladiolus?
Ans. i. Three-four hand weeding are sufficient
ii. Atrazine (1.5 kg/ha), oxyfluorfen (0.5 kg/ha) are sprayed as pre-emergence.
iii. Stomp @ 3.3 l/ha (pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg/ha) control very effectively weeds when applied as pre-emergence and after 45 days of planting in about 3,000 litre water.
Q.105. What are important diseases of gladiolus?
Ans. i. Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli)
ii. Corm-rot (Fusarium, Curvularia, Stromatinia, Botrytis, Penicillium spp.)
iii. Blight (Curcularia trifoli, C. eragrostidis)
iv. Blue/ gray mould (Botrytis elliptica B. gladiolorum)
v. Leaf spots (Septoria gladioli)
vi. Viral diseases (Bean yellow mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus, tobacco ring spot virus and tobacco rattle virus).
Q.106. What are important insect-pests of gladiolus?
Ans. i. Thrips
ii. Aphids
iii. Nematodes
iv. Helicoverpa caterpillars.
Q.107. What are important disorders in gladiolus?
Ans. i. Blindness (It is due to unfavourable climate)
ii. Topple and bud rot (Ca deficiency, spray CaCO3 @ 0.2-0.3%)
iii. Negative geotropism (It is due to uneven distribution of auxins and transport vertically).
Q.108. What is an ideal gladiolus cut flower?
Ans. i. Spike length over 96 cm
ii. No. of florets over 15
iii. No. of florets open at a time over 5
iv. No side shoots
v. Florets in single or double line, but facing one side
vi. Florets evenly spaced
vii. Balance between open, half open and close florets
viii. Optimum longevity
ix. Attractive colour
x. Florets should be turgid free from injury and discolouration.
Q.109. At what stage the gladiolus spikes should be harvested?
Ans. i. Local market: lower most 1-2 florets are open
ii. Distant market: lower most 1-2 florets are coloured.
Q.110. How gladiolus spikes are packed?
Ans. i. Make bunches of 10, 12 or 20 spikes
ii. In corrugated card board boxes of 120 x 60 x 30 cm (L x W x H) accommodates about 180-200 cut flowers of gladiolus.
Q.111. What is the optimum temperature for storing gladiolus spikes?
Ans. 1.7-4.4°C
Q.112. At what time gladiolus corms are harvested?
Ans. i. After 40-50 days of flowering.
ii. When 25% cormels turn brown.
iii. Foliage start turning yellow.