TUBEROSE (Poliantha tuberosa) Tuberose occupies a very special position among the ornamental bulbous plants because of its prettiness, elegance and fragrance. It has good economic potential for loose/cut flower trade and essential oil industry. Cultivars There are three groups of cultivars as given below: 1. Single: Flower is pure white and has only a single row of corolla segments. Cultivars are Sringar, Culcutta Single, Mexican Single and Suvarna Rekha. 2. Double: Flowers are white, tinged with pinkish red. Petals are in several whorls. Cultivars are Suvasini, Culcutta Double and Pearl. 3. Semi-double: Similar to double but with only 2 to 3 rows of corolla segments. This classification is based on floral characters. Soil Porous, well-drained sandy loam soils are best suited for tuberose cultivation. Propagation Propagation is by bulbs. Boat shaped bulbs of size 2 to 3 cm are preferred for planting. About 1.25 to 1.50 lakh bulbs (800 to 900 kg) are required for planting one hectare. Cultural practices Land is prepared well by ploughing two or three times. FYM @ 30 t ha-1 is mixed well with soil. Best time for planting is May-July. The bulbs preferably those of size 2-5 cm or above are to be planted at a depth of 7-10 cm, with a spacing of 20 cm x 25 cm. A fertilizer dosage of 100:50:50 kg ha-1 N:P2O5:K2O is recommended. Of these, half N, full P2O5 and K2O are applied at the time of planting. Remaining N is applied when the flower spikes start to appear. A heavy irrigation once in 5-10 days is necessary depending upon the weather conditions. The peak flowering is between June and October. Ratoon crop After the harvest of the main crop, the flower stalks are headed back and the plot is manured and irrigated. Three or four ratoon crops can be taken from single planting. Plant protection Slugs and grass hoppers, which feed on the leaves, and thrips which damage and cause distortion of the spikes are the major pests. Malathion and carbaryl are effective against these pests. No major disease is noticed. Sclerotium fungus, which attacks the leaves and flower stalks at ground level causes defoliation and toppling of spikes. This can be controlled by drenching of soil around the plant with fungicides. Harvest and yield Tuberose is harvested by cutting the spikes from the base for table decoration or the individual flower is picked from the spike for making garlands and other floral ornaments: The average yield of flower is as follows. Plant crop: 5-10 t ha-1 First ratoon: 9-12 t ha-1 Second ratoon: 4-6 t ha-1
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:27:25 +0000
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