Commercial Floriculture Research Articles

Thrips Species Composition in Ontario Greenhouse Floriculture: Innovative Identification Tools and Implications for Integrated Pest Management.

Proper species identification is the keystone of successful integrated pest management (IPM). However, efforts to identify thrips species in Canadian greenhouses have not been formally made since the 1980s. In response to recent increases in crop damage, we sampled thrips communities from eight commercial floriculture greenhouses in the Niagara region (Ontario, Canada) from May until August 2016. Selected sites were revisited in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to determine changes in species composition over time. Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)), along with onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman), constituted the majority of species found. Other pest species (less than 8% of specimens across all sampling years) included poinsettia thrips (Echinothrips americanus Morgan), chrysanthemum thrips (Thrips nigropilosus Uzel), and Frankliniella fusca (Hinds). Further investigations of thrips outbreaks in Ontario from 2016 to 2023 revealed other important species, including Thrips parvispinus (Karny), Hercinothrips femoralis (Reuter), and Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood. The current biocontrol strategies used in Ontario floriculture crops for western flower thrips do not adequately control onion thrips or other thrips pests in ornamental crops, making identification a fundamental step in determining whether biocontrol or chemical control strategies should be implemented. However, traditional taxonomic keys are inaccessible to non-specialists due to their technical difficulty. Using the data gathered in these surveys, we developed a simplified, illustrated identification key for use by growers and IPM consultants.

Conservation and development of floriculture diversity with special reference to Orchids in the Darjeeling Himalaya, India

Darjeeling Himalaya is a typical mountainous terrain composed of tropical, temperate, and alpine ecosystems and widely varying elevation ranges followed by a great diversity of flora and fauna. About 30% of the total geographical area (TGA) falls under forest cover, about one-third area as tea gardens and the rest is under agriculture and medicinal plants cultivation. There are no large floriculture gardens of public interest as yet, interestingly, aesthetic and commercial floriculture is almost wholly confined to individual home premises. In pursuance of the guidelines prescribed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)-1992, this paper, reflects the outcomes of a three-year project, sponsored by the Govind Ballabh Pant ‘National Institute of Himalayan Environment’ (NIHE), Almora, India (formerly known as G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development), and would seek to address five main objectives, namely, survey and documentation of wild species including rare and endangered ones; identifying areas where R&D is needed to safeguard and enhance the health of the plants and animals at the species, genetic and ecosystem level; conservation and rational utilization of natural resources as related to the process of sustainable development; generating mass awareness through education and training on scientific, economic, environmental, ecological and social dimensions of biodiversity; and, raising necessary manpower needed to promote sustainable growth and development of biodiversity resources on a long term basis.

Association between Socio Personal, Psychological and Communicational Attributes of NHM Flower Grower Beneficiaries and their Adoption Behaviour

India has an ancient heritage of floriculture, still, 98.5% of flowers are grown under open cultivation and hardly 1.5% of flowers are grown in a greenhouse. Commercial floriculture is now recognized as an important sector with the potential for generating employment and earning valuable foreign exchange. There has been tremendous growth in the demand and consumption of floriculture products in the last two decades. The research study was conducted in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh in the year 2016-2017. Ujjain district is one of the important flower-growing districts and hence, it is considered under National Horticultural Mission (NHM) program by taking 120 flower growers. Out of the total of 25 villages, 4 villages were selected by random sampling method and data was collected by using an interview schedule. The adoption behavior of respondents, in the present study, refers to the extent of improved flower production technology and practices adopted by the respondents under the NHM program on their farm as per the recommendations. For measuring the level of adoption behaviour, an adoption index was developed which consisted of 14 practices. The Education level, annual income, source of irrigation, farm mechanization, marketing behavior, information-seeking behavior, mass media communication, risk-taking ability, and knowledge level of the flower growers were found to be positively and significantly associated with their adoption behavior of improved flower production technologies. Hence it is concluded that there is a need to promote flower cultivation for better livelihood of the flower growers.

Growing Dahlias, Dahlia coccinea Cav., for Commercial Cut Flower Production in Aquaponics and AutoPots

Commercial floriculture is years behind food agriculture in the adoption of organic and sustainable practices and enacts a heavy toll on the environment, resulting in excessive water usage, soil erosion, heavy pesticide use, and a massive carbon footprint. In this study, Dahlias (D. Coccinea) were grown in AutoPots fed by an established aquaponics system to explore the sustainability and environmental impacts of aquaponics on commercial floriculture. Dahlias were grown starting from both tubers and cuttings, for a six month period, in a greenhouse setting, assessing the bloom time, bloom quality, stem count, pesticide usage, water usage, and tuber formation. Dahlias bloomed in a typical time frame, compared to field grown plants, the quality of the blooms was equivalent to field grown, the stem counts were significantly lower than field grown, pesticide usage was slightly decreased, water usage was dramatically lower than field grown, and tuber formation was not impacted. To date, this is the first published evidence that Dahlias can be grown in aquaponics, that typical environmental benefits were observed when growing Dahlias via this method, and tuber formation was not hindered by the high moisture conditions produced by a coupled aquaculture system.

Role Of Plant Growth Regulators In Enhancing Flowering In Commercial Floriculture

Role Of Plant Growth Regulators In Enhancing Flowering In Commercial Floriculture

Evaluating gladiolus varieties for off-season planting using agro-meteorological indices

Commercial floriculture is an emerging profitable agro industry in the world with great demand of cut flowers but with a constraint to regulate the supply for longer duration in the markets. The off-season plucked flowers get better price, as glut during peak season affects the profits. This could be achieved by cultivating varieties over a wide range of planting times which demands evaluation of varietal performance under different sowing windows. The present study was conducted with five gladiolus varieties viz. Punjab glance, Punjab lemon delight, Novalux, Rose supreme and Alexander the great planted at six sowing dates starting from 5thJuly to 20th September at 15 days interval. All the varieties gave best performance in terms of days to flowering, plant height, spike length, number of florets per spike, vase life and number of corms per corm when planted on 20th September (nearest to normal planting season).The growth of all varieties was affected under early plantings as they produced taller plants with shorter spikes, reduced number of florets per spike and vase life; took more number of days to flower, accumulated more growing degree days (GDD), helio thermal units (HTU) and photothermal units (PTU). All the varieties under early plantings produced spikes of comparable quality that depicts their tolerance to unfavourable temperature and photoperiod. This characteristic could be used in breeding programmes for development of varieties that could efficiently channelize their accumulated heat units for spike production and could be grown in diverse agro climatic zones. The performance of early planted Punjab glance and Punjab lemon delight was at par to their respective normal plantings. Thus, early planting of these varieties will lead to spike production in September and at this time farmers can fetch good price.

K. V. KLEMESHOVA, T. YU. GABUEVA PECULIARITIES OF FORMATION OF LARGE-FLOWERED CHRYSANTHEMES FOR OBTAINING CUT IN A WET SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE

Chrysanthemum is one of the leading crops of commercial floriculture. Within garden groups and classes, chrysanthemums are divided according to cultivation methods, shape and size of the inflorescences. For varieties grown on a cut, a group of large-flowered (with a diameter of inflorescences of 12-25 cm), small-flowered (4-10 cm) chrysanthemums and santini (from 2 to 4 cm) is distinguished. Having a limited assortment of chrysanthemum garden, in a humid subtropical climate, it is possible to form a largeflowered (single-headed, disbud) and small-flowered (spray) cut. The purpose of the research was to study the peculiarities of formation of large-flowered chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum×hortorum Bailey) to obtain cut in the humid subtropics of Russia. The objects of research were large-flowered and small-flowered varieties of chrysanthemums of foreign and domestic breeding. The studies were carried out in the open ground of the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Nursery of the Federal Research Center the Subtropical Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Scientific research was carried out according to the methodology of State variety testing of agricultural crops and the methodology of testing for distinctness, uniformity and stability of chrysanthemum (perennial) Chrysanthemum spec. ‘Sevan’, ‘Baltica White’, ‘Granada’ and ‘Zembla Brasil’ are large-flowered varieties, which have bush peduncles of good commercial quality with large inflorescences of saturated shades. In turn, from small-flowered garden forms ‘Zembla White’, ‘Annecy White’ and ‘Westland Regal’ with regular pinching, you can grow a large-flowered cut of chrysanthemums. It was revealed the relationship between biometric characteristics in order to determine additional diagnostic features of the possibility of the formation of large-flowered inflorescences. So, the diameter of the inflorescence is the most significant parameter for research which has significant positive relationships with the diameter of the peduncle and the length of the extreme ray flower. It will allow determining the possibility of growing the variety in one form or another, depending on the needs of production, at the initial stages of introduction and variety study.

Local perceptions of ecosystem services and human-induced degradation of lake Ziway in the Rift Valley region of Ethiopia

Ecosystems supply beneficial contributions to people’s quality of life and well-being. Freshwater lakes provide diverse consumptive and non-consumptive ecosystem services (ESs) to people. This study examined ecosystem goods and services that Lake Ziway in the Rift valley region of Ethiopia supply and identified the anthropogenic pressures that impact the lake and its services. The lake currently supports investment projects and livelihoods of the local communities. It contributes to the local and national economy from the export of cut flowers. The biggest commercial floriculture investment in the country is located on the shore of this lake, depending mainly on its water. Assessing the views and knowledge of local communities towards the contributions of ESs to human life, well-being, and livelihoods is important to protect and prolong the long-term benefits of ESs. A total of 41 experts, 137 households, and 20 discussants from two districts were selected for interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). Pearson's Chi-square tests were used to test the association between dependent and independent variables. Multiple regression models were developed to examine the ESs of the lake and human impacts. The result showed that respondents prioritize the ESs of the lake as provisioning > supporting > cultural > regulating services. The Chi-square results revealed a strong association among ESs with respondents’ type and residence locations. The multiple regression results revealed that respondents’ types and residence locations were significant determinants in prioritizing the importance of ESs of Lake Ziway (p < .01). The degradation of Lake Ziway is increasing along with the increasing human population and increasing demands for provisioning services. The major anthropogenic activities are intensive water abstraction, pollution, overharvesting of resources, wetland conversion, and the introduction of invasive species. Such human activities are degrading the capacities of the lake ecosystem and its ecosystem service provisions. Our results indicate that understanding the links between these human pressures on Lake Ziway and its ES provisions is crucial for the sustainable management of the lake. The study could serve as a reference for decision-making for prioritizing the conservation measures needed towards ensuring the sustainable use of the various ecosystem services of the lake. Conservation interventions by involving local communities as major actors are needed to minimize human pressures and ensure the sustainability of the lake and its ESs.

Formal maternal employment is associated with lower odds of exclusive breastfeeding by 14 weeks postpartum: a cross-sectional survey in Naivasha, Kenya

In many low- and middle-income countries, improvements in exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) have stalled, delaying reductions in child mortality. Maternal employment is a potential barrier to EBF. We evaluated associations between maternal employment and breastfeeding (BF) status. We compared formally and non-formally employed mothers in Naivasha, Kenya, where commercial floriculture and hospitality industries employ many women. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among mothers (n=1186) from September 2018 to October 2019 at 4 postpartum time points: at hospital discharge (n=296) and at 6 wk (n=298), 14 wk (n=295), and 36 wk (to estimate BF at 24 wk; n=297) postpartum. Mothers reported their BF status and reasons for EBF cessation. We used multivariable logistic regression models to test the association between formal maternal employment and 3 outcomes: early BF initiation (within 1 h of birth), EBF at each time point, and continued BF at 9 mo. Models were informed by a directed acyclic graph: a causal diagram used to characterize the relationship among variables that influence the independent (employment) and dependent (BF status) variables. EBF did not differ by employment status at hospital discharge or at 6 wk postpartum. However, formally employed mothers were less likely than those not formally employed to report EBF at 14 wk (59.0% compared with 95.4%, respectively; AOR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.34) and at 24 wk (19.0% compared with 49.6%, respectively; AOR:0.25; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.44). The prevalence of continued BF at 36 wk did not differ by group (98.1% for formally employed compared with 98.5% for non-formally employed women; AOR:0.80; 95% CI: 0.10, 6.08). The primary reasons reported for early EBF cessation were returning to work (46.5%), introducing other foods based on the child's age (33.5%), or perceived milk insufficiency (13.7%). As more women engage in formal employment in low- and middle-income countries, additional supports to help prolong the period of EBF may be beneficial for formally employed mothers and their children.

Effect of silicon and gibberellic acid on growth and flowering of gladiolus

Effect of silicon and gibberellic acid on growth and flowering of gladiolus

Induced mutations: technological advancement for development of new ornamental varieties

Induced mutagenesis is now one of the most important technologies for the development of new varieties through genetic manipulations. In commercial floriculture there is always demand for new varieties. Mutation has been most successfully utilized in ornamental crops and this author has developed 80 new mutant varieties. Voluminous literature has been generated on ornamental crops using classical and in vitro techniques focusing on different aspects like radio-sensitivity, selection of material, exposure to mutagens, suitable dose of mutagens, combined treatment, recurrent irradiation, acute and chronic irradiations, ion beam technology, colchicine induced-mutation, mutation detection, nature of chimerism, classical and modern methods for management of chimeras, in vitro mutagenesis, directive mutation, isolation of mutants etc. Step wise advancement/refinement of practical approaches for application of classical and in vitro induced mutation techniques have highlighted improvement of ornamental crops with special emphasis on interesting mutants with changed flower type, appendage like structure on florets, striped flowers, tubular florets, late/early blooming varieties along with management of chimera. The knowledge generated on ornamental crops will work as a model system to prepare guide lines for future planning of successful and accurate application of mutation technique in crop improvement programme.

ProserpinaUnbound: John Ruskin, Maria La Touche, and Victorian Floriculture

Filled with caustic statements on artificial plant breeding and florist flowers, John Ruskin's botanical essay collection,Proserpina(1875–86), advances a cogent argument against commercial floriculture and, by extension, the commodification of vegetal life. However, the eco-political stakes of this text have received limited attention. Past studies have primarily interpretedProserpinaas a testament to Ruskin's disquiet about Darwinism and as a memorial to his late love, Rose La Touche. In this article, I argue that beneath these scientific and personal imperatives,Proserpinaurges readers to resist the consumption of floral commodities engineered by Victorian nurserymen and florists. My reading draws together the history of nineteenth-century flower breeding with recent inquiries from the field of critical plant studies in order to illuminate how Ruskin's botanical prose dovetails with present-day debates on vegetal ethics. Flower-breeding motifs figure prominently in a series of letters written forProserpinaby Rose's mother, Maria La Touche, whose contributions to this book have long been overlooked. AnalyzingProserpina's floricultural subtext will not only recover La Touche's letters from the shadow of Ruskin's love life but also underscore an unexplored facet of Ruskin's antipathy toward Darwin, who celebrated florist flowers in his own botanical writings.

Analyses of morphobiochemical characteristics of the Iris genus within the conditions of the Kuzbass botanic garden

The results of study of adaptation potential of plants of the Iris genus of Iridaceae within the conditions of the Kuzbass botanic garden are represented in the article. It was made the evaluation of Morphobiologic characteristics of irises, the terms of flowering was determined together with duration and productivity of flowering, different capacity to fructification was marked, and the sums of positive temperatures need to such phonological phases of development, as growth, flower-bud formation, flowering and fructification were determined. The overall estimate over the complex of decorative signs showed that they are original and stable in the local conditions and may be recommended for commercial floriculture and greening within the conditions of Kemerovo region.Studied an indicating role of phenol compounds, peroxidases, ascorbic acid in Iris leaves during seasonal development. Analyses of studies revealed that the level of biochemical values in the leaves of decorative perennials growing on the territory of the Kuzbass botanic garden depended from species peculiarities and vegetation period of plants. Within the period of vegetation the most accumulation of ascorbic acid was revealed. The studied figures may be used as an informative parameter for the plants state evaluation for further phytoindication and introduction.

Media for growth and yield of calla lily (Zantedeschia elliotiana) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Calla lily (Zantedeschia elliottiana W. Wats.) is an attractive cut flower and a popular pot plant in commercial floriculture industry. This is an introduced crop in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the use of growing media as substrate showed potential influence on growth and yield of cut flowers when compared to soil media. The growing media containing soil: sand: coir compost: vermicompost @2:1:1:1 recorded early sprouting (18.6 days), maximum number of shoots per plant (3.93), maximum number of leaves per plant (8.35), maximum stalk length (52.02 cm), flower diameter (16.0 cm), flower duration (15.5 days), number of flowers per plant (4.32), early flowering (72.02 days), maximum number of tubers per plant (3.27), maximum tuber weight (130.5 g) and maximum size of tuber (14.25 cm). Thus for commercial cultivation of calla lily the use of substrate media containing soil: sand: coir compost: vermicompost @2:1:1:1 (T5) was the best over soil for better vegetative, flowering and tuber growth.

Optimizing Planting Time for Some Selected Commercial Gladiolus Cultivars under Agro-Climatic Conditions of Faisalabad, Pakistan

A field experiment was conducted at Commercial Floriculture Research Area, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, during 2017-18 to evaluate different planting times for quality production of selected gladiolus cultivars. Sixcommercial gladiolus cultivars, viz., Advance, Amsterdam, Essential, Grand Prix, Rose Supreme and White Prosperity were compared by planting at five different planting times from September to November at 15 days interval. Data regarding vegetative growth, flowering and quality parameters were collected. Early sprouting, best vegetative growth and higher quality gladiolus stems were produced when planted in September for all tested cultivars, while among cultivars, ‘Rose Supreme’ proved best for all planting times in the agro-climatic conditions of Faisalabad. Early planting of gladiolus crop in the season with favourably high temperature and longer photoperiod produced strong growth response as compared to late plantings when temperature dropped below 20 °C with photoperiods became shorter. The minimum time to 50% sprouting (7.0 days) along with the highest sprouting percentage (95%), number of leaves per plant (9.6), leaf area (67.6 cm2), plant height (96.4 cm), spike length (73.0 cm), the longest vase life (11.9 d), the best spike quality (8.3) and the greatest number of cormels per clump (30.5) were recorded for September plantation, which gradually decreased with delayed planting. In summary, the best time of planting gladiolus under agro-climatic conditions of Faisalabad, Punjab (Pakistan) is September, which may be adopted by growers for quality stem production.

Implementation of Sensor-based Automated Irrigation in Commercial Floriculture Production: A Case Study

A soil moisture sensor-based automated irrigation system was trialed in a commercial floriculture greenhouse to determine what benefits these types of systems may offer to herbaceous ornamental producers. Water use, crop quality and growth, and grower behavior toward adoption of the new technology were monitored, when all decision making related to system operation was carried out by the grower. Two cultivars of poinsettia (Euphorbia ×pulcherrima) and three cultivars of geranium (Pelargonium ×hortorum) were produced in side-by-side trials over the course of 2 years while comparing grower-controlled, sensor-based automated irrigation with traditional grower-managed (timer-based) irrigation. Plant quality was equivalent between irrigation treatments across all five trials. Differences in plant size were noted in four of the five trials between irrigation treatments, but in all instances these differences were not judged by the commercial grower to impact marketability of the crop. No reductions in irrigation water use were noted with the sensor-based irrigation system, which differed from previous research using this technology in ornamental production. Over the course of 2 years, the number of plants produced using sensor-based irrigation control was scaled up, indicating increasing confidence in, and adoption of, the technology. Managers at the facility found that sensor-based irrigation facilitated reallocation of labor from irrigation management, which was especially valuable during peak production and shipping periods. The payback period calculated from labor savings would be roughly 1.5 years if the sensor-based irrigation system was implemented throughout the facility.

Assessment of genetic diversity in 29 rose germplasms using SCoT marker

Roses are well known for commercial floriculture and greatly used in the field of perfumery, soap, cosmetics, jams & jelly and essential oil production. Due to interspecific hybridization, a large number of hybrids and cultivated varieties of rose are recognized which reveals distinguishable features in flowers such as size, shape, and color. Apart from this, the geographical distribution and polyploidy also make Rose genus more complex. Therefore, the present study was undertaken for the identification and characterization of genetic variation within 29 rose accessions through Start codon targeted polymorphism (SCoT) markers. Out of 36 primers, 32 revealed polymorphic amplification profile in 29 rose accessions with amplification ranging from 150 bp to 1.2 kb. A total of 299 polymorphic amplicons were obtained, ranging from 4 to 19 amplicons with an average of 9.34 amplicons per primer. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.42 to 0.92 with an average of 0.78. The dendrogram was constructed to establish genetic relationship among 29 different accessions using Neighbor-joining and Nei-Li matching coefficient. The distinguishable genetic background and a high degree of variation in the rose genotypes successfully exhibited by the SCoT markers may serve as a valuable aid in Rose improvement strategy.

Methyl jasmonate and α-aminooxi-β-phenyl propionic acid alter phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzymatic activity to affect the longevity and floral scent of cut tuberose

Longevity is a determining factor of the marketability of cut flowers, and is therefore a key target in commercial floriculture. Floral scent is another important factor in the popularity of cut flowers. The phenylpropanoid pathway is one of the key pathways in floral scent production. The first step of this pathway is catalyzed by the enzyme phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL). Here, we evaluated the pre-harvest foliar application of a PAL promoter (methyl jasmonate [MeJA]) and a PAL inhibitor (α-aminooxi-β-phenyl propionic acid [AOPP]) on the physiological parameters, floral scent, and longevity of cut tuberose flowers (Polianthes tuberosa L.). Relative water content (RWC) was significantly affected by foliar application of treatments. The highest and lowest RWCs were observed in plants treated with AOPP (3 mM) and the control, respectively. Catalase (CAT) enzyme activity was not significantly affected by treatments, while peroxidase (POD) activity was significantly affected. Foliar application significantly affected stem water uptake and the 3 mM AOPP resulted in the highest stem water uptake. A GC-MS analysis of floral scent volatiles detected 37 different compounds, with the most abundant being methyl benzoate, benzyl benzoate, pentacosane, and methyl salicylate. The pre-harvest foliar application of MeJA increased the total scent of tuberose, as well as increasing the relative abundances of methyl benzoate and methyl salicylate and reducing the benzyl benzoate and pentacosane content. In contrast, the foliar application of AOPP decreased the total floral scent; while the relative amount of pentacosane increased, the methyl benzoate and methyl salicylate contents decreased. Both treatments extended the longevity of the tuberose flowers; however, the flowers of the AOPP-treated plants lasted longer than those treated with MeJA which could be due the different effects of these treatments on RWC, antioxidant enzymes activity, and/or stem water uptake. These results indicate that PAL plays an important role in the generation of floral scent and the extension of longevity in cut tuberose.

Production of virus-free orchid Cymbidium aloifolium (L.) Sw. by various tissue culture techniques.

Orchids are affected by many viruses resulting in poor growth, yield and quality, and an overall decline in population. Cymbidium mosaic virus (CymMV) is one of the common orchid viruses found in Cymbidium species but it infects different orchid genera. In this study Cymbidium aloifolium was propagated in vitro using MS medium at different strength (1.0, ½, and ¼) with or without 0.5 mg/l BAP (6-benzylaminopurine) and 0.5 mg/l NAA (Naphthalene acetic acid). To provide disease-free planting material, source plant for in vitro propagation needs to be screened for pathogenic viruses. In the present study, in vivo-grown source (mother) plants and tissue culture-derived plants of C. aloifolium were tested for CymMV virus using Double antibody sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). All the tissue cultured plants were found to be 100% virus-free whereas the in vivo grown source plants were highly affected by CymMV virus (83.33%). The virus-free in vitro plantlets were multiplied in large scale and then acclimatized on earthen pot containing a mixture of cocopeat, litter and clay in the ratio of 3:2:1. Eighty five percent of acclimatized plantlets survived making this method an efficient mass production system for high quality virus-free C. aloifolium for commercial floriculture and germplasm preservation.

Effect of harvesting at different nodes on growth and flower yield of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus Linn) in second season crop

The present study was under taken in a commercial floriculture farm under protected cultivation with three cultivars of carnation during July 2010 to February 2011. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with factorial concept. Harvesting of carnation flower stalk at 3 rd node from the ground level recorded minimum number of days to sprouting of buds than other harvesting nodes i.e. , 2 nd , 4 th and 5 th nodes. Days to first flower bud appearance, colour break stage and days to harvest was also minimum with harvesting at 3 rd node in cultivars Domingo, Dover and Keiro. And the length of lateral, length of flower stalk and flower, diameter of flower stalk and flower, number of flower stalks per plant, fresh flower weight and vase life was maximum with harvesting at 3 rd node than other harvesting heights in cultivar Domingo.