Evaluation of Heliconia for growth, flowering and flower yield

Abstract

Heliconia is utilized as ornamental plants, usually being grown both as landscaping plants and as cut flowers, owing to colour and the longer durability of its floral bracts. Forty-one genotypes of Heliconia were evaluated for growth, flowering and flower yield. Significant variation was observed among genotypes for vegetative and floral characteristics. The results revealed that the maximum number of leaves per sucker was recorded in H. hirsuta followed by H. ‘Golden Torch Adrian’ and H. ‘GT Sunshine’, while, maximum plant height was recorded in varieties viz., H. caribea (459.33 cm) followed by H. ‘She’ (337.67 cm) and H. rauliniana upright (305.00 cm). However, maximum leaf length was observed in H. caribea (314.33 cm) followed by H. ‘She’ (203.67 cm) and Heliconia metallica (175.00 cm). Maximum sucker production was recorded in H. ‘Tropics’ followed by H. psittacorum ‘Petra’ and H. ‘Guyana’. Among the flowering traits, early flower initiation was recorded in Golden Torch (136.00 days) followed by Lady Di (152.00 days). The rachis length ranged from 72.67 cm (H. ‘Golden Torch’) to 10.00 cm (H. ‘Hirsuta’), however, longest spike was recorded in H. ‘rauliniana upright’ (131.33 cm) followed by H. rostrata ‘Parrots Beak’ (115.67 cm) and H. rostrata Ten Days (97.00 cm), whereas, shortest spike was recorded in H. bihai (9.33 cm).