Flower Stalk Length Research Articles

Assessment of genetic parameters and heritability of Dendrobium species section Spatulata native to Indonesia

Being one of the most abundant genera of orchids, Dendrobium presents a valuable genetic resource for hybridization programs. Morphological characterization and assessment of genetic parameters plays a crucial role in establishing genetic connections among orchid species within the same genus. The study aims to discern the morphological traits of five Indonesian Dendrobium species, intending to evaluate their potential as candidates for crossbreeding programs. The materials used in this study were D. antennatum, D. discolor, D. stratiotes, D. lineale, D. gouldii, and D. sylvanum. This research examines 21 quantitative traits and 21 qualitative morphological traits of the studied Dendrobium. The findings reveal variations in characters related to flowers, leaves, and pseudobulbs. The analysis of genetic parameters indicates the presence of genetic diversity in traits such as flower stalk length, length of inflorescence, flower series length, flower length, flower width, dorsal sepal width, lateral sepal width, petal length, petal width, labellum length, labellum width, and the number of florets. All observed traits demonstrate high heritability. So, the characters that have high genetic variability and heritability are valuable in selection criteria for plant breeding.

Evaluation of Agronomic and Genetic Diversity in M2V1 Generation of Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.)

Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) is an ornamental plant widely used as a potted or cut flower due to its vibrant colors and diverse flower shapes. High genetic diversity is essential for successful breeding programs aimed at developing superior varieties. Genetic information can be obtained by estimating variance components and heritability values, key parameters in plant breeding. A high heritability value suggests that genetic factors influence a plant's characteristics more than environmental factors. This study assessed the genetic diversity and performance of vegetative propagation from 2nd generation mutant plants (M2V1). The research was conducted at the Pasir Sarongge experimental field in Cianjur Regency from July to October 2023, using a randomized complete block design with 17 genotypes and three replicates. The genotypes included 14 from vegetative propagation of M2V1 mutant plants and three comparison varieties: “Maharani”, “BAIP 2”, and “BAIP 3”. Data analysis was performed using PKBT-STAT 3.1 software, followed by the honest significant difference (HSD) test at the 5% level. The results revealed significant differences among genotypes in plant height, stem diameter, canopy width, leaf width, flower weight, flower diameter, number of flowers per plant, total flower weight per plant, and flower stalk length. Floret types observed were either all ligulate or all tubuligulate, with flower colors ranging from orange to yellow to white. Traits such as canopy width, flower weight, flower diameter, and stalk length, which exhibited broad genetic diversity and high heritability, can be used for selection in future marigold breeding programs.

Morphological Characterization of Local Jinten Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L. M. Perry) in Wakasihu Village, West Leihitu District, Central Maluku Regency

Clove jinten are one of the local cloves cultivated in Wakasihu Village, West Leihitu District, Central Maluku Regency. Until now, there has not been much information about various studies related to the morphology of cloves Jinten. The research aims to analyze the morphological characters of local cloves jinten and identify the plant's descriptor characters. The research was carried out in Wakasihu Village, West Leihitu District, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku Province in January - May 2024. The research results based on Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) showed two large groups with a dissimilarity coefficient of 14.30% (similarity of 85.70%). Group I consisted of 4 accessions clustered with a dissimilarity coefficient of 12.80% (similarity 87.20%) and group II consisted of 26 accessions with a dissimilarity coefficient of 12.50% (similarity 87.50%). Group II in the grouping is also divided into two groups, namely group II-a which consists of 20 accessions with a dissimilarity coefficient of 11.80% (similarity 88.20%) and group II-b which consists of 6 accessions with a dissimilarity coefficient of 12% (similarity 88%). Characteristics of cloves jinten based on Principle Component Analysis (PCA) were obtained in the form of leaf length, leaf area, leaf stalk length, flower stalk length, fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight.

Growth and Flowering of Lilium (Lilium longiflorum) cv. Eremo as Affected by CCC and GA3 under Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse Conditions of Prayagraj

The present investigation was carried out under naturally ventilated polyhouse conditions, Department of Horticulture, SHUATS, Prayagraj, during November, 2023 to March, 2024. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. There were nine treatments comprising of Cycocel (CCC) and Gibberellic Acid (GA3) at different concentrations viz., GA3 (100, 200, 300 and 400 ppm) and CCC (100, 200, 300 and 400 ppm) along with Water spray. The results revealed foliar application of 300 ppm GA3 for Lilium significantly enhanced the number of leaves (71.83), plant height (76.47 cm), plant spread (15.44 cm), leaf area (9.73 cm2),number of buds (3.40),at 300 ppm of GA3 it takes lesser days taken for bud initiation(40.40),and also less days taken for first flower opening from planting (68.53), flower bud length (8.83 cm), flower stalk length (12.43 cm), stalk length (78.10 cm), self-life (12.97 days),flower yield per plant (3.40) and flower yield for 250 m2(6296.29) . Among the different treatments, the highest Gross return is 188888.7 Rs/250 m2, Net return is 120870.75 Rs/250 m2 and Benefit cost ratio is 2.77, obtained by the application of 300 ppm of GA3.Whereas in terms of only Bulb parameters, foliar application of 200 ppm of CCC for Lilium reported maximum number of bulblets per plant (4.11) and gives maximum weight of bulb per plant (74.07g).

Evaluation of the growth, flower quality, yield and vase life of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii L.) cultivars under open ventilated saw-tooth type polyhouse

Cultivation of crops under protected conditions can enhance the yield and quality of agricultural produce. Gerbera is one of the high-value cut flowers which can be commercially cultivated under greenhouse conditions in tropical and subtropical regions. The choice of commercially viable cultivars is essential for obtaining its marketability. Moreover, cultivars of gerbera should be highly productive. Considering the above facts, the present study was conducted in 2020-2022 in the Protected Cultivation Unit of the Centurion University of Technology and Management where 10 cultivars were chosen as treatments. They were Intense, White house, Stanza, Dune, Dana-ellen, Artist, Sunway, Silvester, Pre-intenzz and Ankur. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The data collected on the growth parameters, quality, yield, and vase life revealed that among all the cultivars of gerbera, Dana-ellen showed its superiority over others in terms of plant height and number of leaves (49.3 cm and 31.0 at 120 days after sowing respectively), days to first flowering (84.3), flower stalk length (64.8 cm), flower stalk girth (67.2 cm), ray floret length (8.7 mm) and suckers per plant (3.4); however, it remained on par with Dune, Intense, and Silvester in expression of most of the crop parameters. Similarly, the same variety Dana-ellen registered the highest yields (27.3, 33.7 and 34.7 flowers per plant during first, second and third years of the study respectively) among all the cultivars. Moreover, the variety Dune recorded the maximum vase life of 8.4 days and 9.2 days with citric acid and sucrose solutions, respectively. The study concluded that the cultivation of Dana-ellen, Dune, Silvester, and Artist under open-ventilated saw-tooth polyhouse conditions can be commercially viable for achieving higher flower quality and yield.

Keragaman Morfologi Cengkih Tuni (Syzygium Aromaticum L.) Di Kecamatan Tehoru, Kabupaten Maluku Tengah, Provinsi Maluku

Clove Tuni is a superior local clove variety from Maluku, widely cultivated in Tehoru District, Central Maluku Regency. Until now, information on morphological diversity in Tuni clove populations in the region is still limited. This study aimed to inform the morphological diversity of Tuni cloves and their morphological characteristics. The research was conducted in three villages in Tehoru District, Central Maluku Regency: Haya, Tehoru, and Yaputih Villages. The clove plants characterized were >20 years old, where ten plant samples were taken from each village, so there were 30 plants. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) results for 54 morphological characters obtained from two groups of Tuni cloves with a dissimilarity coefficient of 13% (87% similarity). The first group comprised ten plants with a similarity coefficient of 92% (8% dissimilarity). In contrast, the second group consisted of 20 plants, of which 11 plants had a similarity coefficient of 91.5% or 8.5% dissimilarity (group IIa), and nine plants had a similarity coefficient of 91% or 9% dissimilarity (group IIb). Principle Component Analysis (PCA) results found a diversity of morphological characters with a total diversity of 51.3%. The PCA results showed the characteristics of the first group in the form of flower stalk length, weight, and number of flowers/series. The identifying characters for group IIa are the North-South canopy width and the East-West canopy width, while the identifying characters for group IIb are fruit length, width, and weight.

Effect of Micronutrients on Flowering and Yield Attributes of Chrysanthemum (Dendrathemum grandiflora Tzeuleu) cv.CO 1

Micronutrients are essential for crop growth and are equally important as primary and secondary nutrients. The Present study was carried out at orchard, Department of Horticulture Faculty of Agriculture, in the year 2010. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design with seventeen treatments and three replications. The treatment comprised of various combination of micronutrients viz., Zinc sulphate 0.5%, Ferrous sulphate 0.5%, Borax 0.5%, Manganese sulphate 0.5%, Copper sulphate 0.5%, Mixture of all micronutrients 0.5% and micronutrients mixture at 12.5 kg ha-1, two different concentrations with recommended dose 25 t FYM ha-1 + RDF of N, P, K and a control at 5 different interval on flowering and yield attributes of chrysanthemum. The results revealed that soil application of micronutrients mixture @ 12.5 kg ha-1 in split as basal, 25, 50 and 75 DAT were found superior on number of flowers per plant (89.91), flower stalk length (8.92 cm) and flower yield per hectare (21.14 t ha-1).

Determining Salt Tolerance of Zinnia Flower

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effects of irrigation water containing different salt levels on the morphological characteristics of zinnia (Zinnia elegans). For this purpose, five different salt levels (control, 2 dS m-1, 4 dS m-1, 6 dS m-1 and 8 dS m-1) were established. As morphological characteristics, plant height, plant diameter, number of flowers, flower diameter, flower stalk length, flower stalk diameter, petal number, petal length, petal width, leaf thickness, leaf length and leaf width were measured. Irrigation was carried out at 7-day intervals. Soil moisture was monitored with pot weights. The research was carried out in Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Agriculture, in 2020.
 As a result of the study, while the number of flowers, flower diameter, number of petals, leaf thickness, leaf length and leaf width values of morphological features were found to be statistically different according to salt levels; plant height, plant diameter, peduncle length, peduncle diameter, petal length and petal width were found to be insignificant. When evaluated in terms of visuality, it can be said that there are significant differences between the treaments depending on the level of salt stress. According to the results of the research, it was revealed that the salt tolerance of the zinnia flower was partially low.

Studies on Performance of Vegetative & Floral Parameters of Different Varieties under Polyhouse Condition

The experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design with ten cultivars and replicated thrice. The cultivars used in the experiment of Rose viz., Top Secret (T1), Jumelia (T2), Avalanche (T3), Gold Strike (T4), Revival (T5), Naranga (T6), Solaire (T7), Hot Shot (T8), Volcano (T9) and Peach Avalanche (T10). The maximum number of leaves per 10 cm middle shoot length (5.01), longest flower stalk length (59.50 cm) maximum stem girth (0.73 cm), was recorded significantly in Top Secret (T1). Earliest first bud initiation (27.01 days) & earliest first harvest (32.37 days) were recorded in Revival (T5) and maximum fresh weight of flower (43.95 g).

Varietal Evaluation of Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) in Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse under Prayagraj Agro-climatic Condition

Carnation, scientifically known as Dianthus caryophyllus, is a popular and attractive flowering plant that belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family. Native to the Mediterranean region, carnations are now cultivated all over the world for their beauty and fragrance. Therefore, present investigation was carried out at the Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh during the Winter-2022-23 with a view to determine the performance of different varieties of carnation for its growth and flowering under ventilated polyhouse. Under this experiment, overall, 6 varieties were used comprising of variety Cerventes, Master, Magno, Baltico, Realism and Kiro. It was concluded that variety Baltico (white) reported significantly better performance compared to other varieties, in terms of Growth parameters like plant height was seen in cervantes (25.19 cm), number of leaves were maximum in master (20.94), number of internodes was highest in realism (18.49), number of branches were seen to be maximum in baltico (4.47), Kiro was found to be less suited variety for Prayagraj agro climatic condition due to metabolic activity. Flowering parameters like days to first flower bud break (65.33 days), days taken for first flower bud opening (66.00 days) was seen in Master, Flower Stalk length was seen highest in Realism (40.80 cm), number of flowers per plant was seen in cervantes (5.17), number of days taken for flower senescence on plant was seen highest in kiro (15.40 days), the vase life in carnation was seen to be the highest in master (0.40 days).

Influence of Organic Manures on Growth, Flowering, Quality and Yield of Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) Cv. Master under Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse Conditions of Prayagraj, India

An experiment entitled Influence of organic manures on growth, flowering, quality and yield of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) cv. Master under naturally ventilated polyhouse conditions of Prayagraj was conducted in naturally ventilated polyhouse of Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, SHUATS, Prayagraj, during November, 2022 to April, 2023 with an aim to identify the most suitable organic manure combination under the agroclimatic conditions of Prayagraj. There were thirteen treatments replicated thrice in Randomized Block Design (RBD). It was observed that treatment T11 (RDN + FYM 2.5kg/m2 + Vermicompost 1.25kg/m2 + Neem cake 1kg/m2 ) was significantly better in all the parameters studied like plant height (48.5 cm), number of primary branches (7.6), days taken to first bud initiation (93.5), flower diameter (6.3 cm), flower stalk length (77.2 cm), vase life (6.2 days), number of cut flowers per plant (5.6), number of cut flowers per 200 square meter (27,833.3).

Phenological observation of Leucojum aestivum L. and determination to some morphological features and current and future potential distribution areas depending on climate change

Leucojum aestivum is a perennial bulbous plant belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family. Climate change causes an increase in the danger of plant species extinction by producing negative effects on biodiversity and geographical distribution of species. In this study, phenological observations were obtained from L. aestivum populations, which are naturally distributed in Bursa Karacabey, then the morphological characteristics were determined. Also, MaxEnt programme was used to determine the current and future potential distribution areas of the L. aestivum populations in terms of climate change. The plant height of L. aestivum was determined to be an average of 60.92 ​± ​10.38 ​cm. The width of the bulbs was 31.30 ​± ​6.77 ​mm on average, and also the mean length was 34.67 ​± ​6.22 ​mm. The mean weight was 21.35 ​± ​11.74 ​g. The mean width of the broad linear leaves is 12.61 ​± ​3.50 ​mm and also 51.53 ​± ​15.38 ​cm for their mean length. The mean width of the white flowers was 22.97 ​± ​4.01 ​mm and mean length was 20.56 ​± ​1.80 ​mm. The mean flower stalk length was found to be 36.62 ​± ​17.33 ​mm. The number of flowers was an average of 5.54 ​± ​1.21. The mean anther length was 8.98 ​± ​1.01 ​mm. The mean length of the pistil was found to be 11.93 ​± ​0.84 ​mm. The mean width of the fruits was 20.86 ​± ​3.62 ​mm. The number of fruits was found to be a minimum of 1 and maximum of 7 with an average of 2.12 ​± ​1.61. The mean width of the seeds was 6.58 ​± ​0.50 ​mm; and also the number of seeds was found to be at least 1 and at most 26 with an average of 8.16 ​± ​4.90. According to the outputs of the two scenarios, which we evaluated as mild or strict, while no situation was present that would endanger the extinction of the species in Turkey over the next 80 years based on the SSP1-2.6 scenario; however serious reductions in the distribution areas of the species based on the SSP5-8.5 scenario. For this reason, in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures should be taken according to the species and their habitat requirements, and it is suggested to impose various conservation based sanctions and restrictions apart from these measures.

Assessment of genetic diversity in China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees

China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees] is a flowering annual mainly cultivated for loose flower and cut flower, bedding and pot culture. To assess the genetic diversity, 42 genotypes were evaluated for fourteen quantitative traits. The genotypes were found to be highly variable for the traits such as plant height, plant spread, flower stalk length, 100 flower weight, number of flowers per plant, weight of flowers per plant and flower yield per hectare. However, low variability was recorded for vase life and shelf life. The genotypes were broadly grouped into two clusters, which were further divided into cluster 1a, 1b and cluster 2a, 2b, respectively. All the genotypes in cluster 1a were vigorous and medium flowering, whereas, genotypes in cluster 1b were tall, erect, vigorous and late flowering. The cluster 2a comprises of the genotypes with short stature, small flower and early flowering, however, cluster 2b contains only two genotypes. In principal component analysis (PCA) PC1 was highly correlated to flower yield, weight of flowers/plant, flower stalk length and plant height and PC2 was highly positively correlated to shelf life and vase life and negatively correlated to 100 flower weight. The results suggested that the existing variation in China aster genotypes could be used for the development of trait-specific novel genotypes.

Analysis of genetic divergence, principal component, correlation and path coefficient for quantitative traits of Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) in the north eastern region, India

AbstractGerbera is an important commercial flower crop in the world. Augmenting the genetic diversity is desirable for further improvement in Gerbera breeding programme. Thirty-seven (37) Gerbera accessions were evaluated and analysed for genetic variability, heritability, correlation and path coefficient analysis using yield and quality traits. Results showed that phenotypic coefficients were higher than genotypic coefficients of variation for all the characters. All the traits, except stalk and flower diameter, had high heritability (>60%) and genetic advance (>20%). Based on cluster analysis, the 37 accessions were grouped into seven clusters. Cluster I consists of the maximum number of genotypes (22), while clusters IV–VII are monogenotypic with unique traits. Cluster analysis (D2) showed wider genetic diversity within and between the clusters. The first four principal components (Eigenvalue >1) contributed 72.3% of the total variation. The number of leaves, number of flowers and flower stalk length contributed the most to genetic divergence. Flower yield showed a significant positive genotypic correlation with the number of leaves and suckers. The path analysis (genotypic) revealed that number of suckers, flower stalk diameter and flower stalk length contribute major positive direct effects on number of flowers. Therefore, the wide genetic variability existing in the germplasm may facilitate improvement in gerbera crops. Superior lines (RCGH-12, -22, -114, -117) with higher yield (>23 flowers/plant) and vase life (>5 days) could be promoted for commercial production under open field conditions. While RCGH 28 has a dwarf flower stalk that can be promoted for pots and decoration purposes.

Consequences of Mulch Practice on Growth, Flowering and Yield of Different Varieties of China Aster (Callistephus chinensis)

The investigation entitled with ‘Consequences of mulch practice on growth, flowering and yield of different varieties of China aster (Callistephus chinensis)’ were carried out at floriculture unit, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Dharwad, Karnataka during the year 2019-20. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design consisting of 20 treatment combinations. Ten china aster varieties, Namdhari Pink (V1), Namdhari White (V2), Arka Kamini (V3), Arka Poornima (V4), Arka Shashank (V5), Phule Ganesh pink (V6), Phule Ganesh Puple (V7), AAC-1(V8), Miraj Local (V9) and Pink Cushion (V10) were planted under black plastic mulch (M2) and without mulch condition (M1). The variety Phule Ganseh Purple under mulched condition (V6M2) registered maximum plant height of 54.03 cm, plant spread of 38.53 cm and number of primary braches 25.46. However, minimum number of days 34.58 and 48.63 days, were recorded in treatment V5M2 (Arka Shashank under mulched condition) for days taken for flower bud initiation, 50 per cent flowering respectively, compared to other treatment combinations. The treatment V8M2 (AAC-1 under mulched condition) was observed with maximum flowering duration (34.26 days). Phule Ganseh Purple under mulch condition (V7M2) and Phule Ganseh Pink under mulch condition (V7M2) recorded maximum flower diameter of 7.47 cm and flower stalk length of 42.77 cm respectively. V7M2 treatment combination recorded highest flower yield (158.76 g) as compared to remaining treatment combinations. The overall experiment resulted that Phule Ganseh Series under black plastic mulch found superior under northern transitional zone of Karnataka.

Effect of Foliar Spraying with Putrescine and Indole Acetic Acid on Growth and Flowering of Two Strains of Snapdragon Plant cv. ‘Opus III/IV’

During the autumn of 2022 and 2021, the experiment was carried out in a plastic greenhouse at the Baqubah center nursery, which is part of the Diyala Agriculture Directorate to check out what happens when you sprinkle foliar fertilizer with putrescine at concentrations 0, 50, 100 and 150 mg L-1, symbolized by P0, P50, P100 and P150 mg L-1, respectively, and Indole acetic acid at concentrations 0, 50, 100 and 150 mg L-1, symbolized by IAA0, IAA50, IAA100 and IAA150 mg L-1, respectively, on growth and flowering of two strains (white and red) of snapdragon plant (Antirrhinum majus L.) cv. ‘Opus III/IV’After being sprayed with putrescine through the leaves, Major enhancements were seen in nearly all aspects of the plant’s growth, both vegetative and floral. Plant height (111.49 cm), number of leaves (433.37 leaves plant-1), and flower stalk length (86.33 cm) were all significantly improved by foliar spraying treatment at a concentration of 150 mg L-1, while leaf area (4723.0 cm2) was significantly improved by spraying at a concentration of 100 mg L-1, and best results were achieved by spraying at a concentration of 50 mg L-1 (102.42 days). Foliar spraying with Indole acetic acid led to a significant increase in vegetative and flowering growth traits. Foliar spraying treatment at a concentration of 150 mg L-1 resulted in a significant increase in the traits represented by percentage of total carbohydrates (18.37%), nitrogen (2.93%), phosphorous (0.58%) and potassium (3.00%) in the leaves, number of inflorescences (10.75 inflorescence plant-1), while spraying treatment with concentration of 50 mg L-1 excelled and gave the best results for the vase life (9.55 days). It is clear from the results that the two strains varied in the traits of vegetative and flowering growth, where they varied in the strength showing of the traits, as the white strain excelled in most of the vegetative and flowering traits and showed a significant increase in number of leaves (421.90 leaf plant-1), leaf area (4516.56 cm2), flower stalk length (84.10 cm), and the vase life (10.11 days), while the red strain showed a significant effect in percentage of total carbohydrates (13.09%), nitrogen (2.21%), phosphorous (0.42%), potassium (2.32%) in the leaves, and number of inflorescences (9.33 inflorescence plant-1). All vegetative and floral growth parameters were significantly affected by the interaction between putrescine and Indole acetic acid in foliar spraying for two snapdragon plant strains. The best results were found in the red strain’s interaction treatment with spraying of Indole acetic acid at a concentration of 150 mg L-1 for total carbohydrate content (20.70%), nitrogen (3.18%), phosphorus (0.70%), and potassium (3.25%) in the leaves, as well as the number of inflorescences per plant (10.75 inflorescences plant-1). The white strain’s interaction treatment with spraying of putrescine at a concentration of 50 mg L-1 (102.42 days).

Response of Plant Growth Regulators on Vegetative Growth, and Flower Quality of Chrysanthemum at Central India

A study on the effect of plant growth regulators on growth of chrysanthemum was carried out at K.N.K. College of Horticulture, Mandsaur. Experiment was laid out in completely randomized design(CRD) with three replications. Chrysanthemum cultivar- Hybrid-2 was used for the experiment. Six PGR treatments consisting of three concentrations each of GA and NAA i.e., GA3 (100, 150 & 200 ppm) and NAA (75 ppm, 125 ppm and 200 ppm) were applied to the experiment. GA3 (200 ppm) recorded the maximum values for plant height, plant spread, number of branches / plant, number of leaves/ plant, leaf length (cm), leaf stalk length (cm), number of suckers per plant, number of flowers per plant, flower stalk length (cm), flower diameter and flowering duration as well as the earliest first flower bud appearance and first flower opening. This treatment also recorded the longest vase life of cut flowers (days), the maximum total water uptake in vase and the maximum diameter of fully opened flower in vase life.

Morphological Character of Clove “Raja” (Syzygium aromaticum L.), Endemic to Maluku, Indonesia

Clove “Raja” is one of the local Maluku clove germplasm, which has characteristics similar to cultivated cloves and wild types. Until now, very limited information that are available on the morphological character of clove “Raja”. This study aims to provide basic information on the morphological diversity of “Raja”. The study was conducted at the location of the distribution of cloves “Raja” in Mamala village, Leihitu sub-district, Central Maluku district, Maluku province, in June-August 2022. The descriptors used referred to Tropical Fruit Descriptors, with some modifications. The clove “Raja” that were characterized belonged to the farmers and consisted of 30 accessions of cloves that were over twenty years old. The characterization variables included the characters of trees, stems, branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. The results of Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) on 30 plant samples based on 54 morphological characters obtained two accession groups with a dissimilarity coefficient of 41%. The results of the Principle Component Analysis (PCA) got a total diversity of 70.5% where the first group consisted of accessions of cloves “Raja” group I having identifiable characters in the form of leaf area, leaf length, leaf width, and leaf tip shape; while the second group of clove accessions of “Raja” group I in the form of stem circumference, petiole length, flower length, fruit length, fruit width, and fruit weight. Characteristics of accession of “Raja” cloves group II had distinctive morphological traits in the form of crown shape, upper surface of leaves, lower surface of leaves, leaf thickness, leaf texture, old leaf color, shoot color, leaf tip color, leaf aroma, leaf spiciness, flower stalk length, and seed color.

Evaluation of genotypes and correlation studies in Marigold (Tagetes spp.) for growth and yield attributes

The study was conducted to evaluate 23 genotypes of marigold (Tagetes spp.) collected from different and diverse sources and correlation studies were performed for various growth and yield characters. The results shows that the maximum plant height (92.60 cm) is recorded in the genotype AMS-15, whereas maximum plant spread (52.80 cm), flower weight (8.93 g) and largest flower size (7.63 cm) was recorded in the genotype ‘AMS-16’. The highest number of branches (11.13), flowers per plant (509.93), flower yield per plant (622.27 gm), flower yield per m2 (4635.83 gm) and duration of flowering (88.47 days) was recorded in genotype ‘AMS-3’. The genotype ‘AMS-4’ showed earliest bud initiation (38.20 days) and flower opening (47.53 days). Plant spread is positively correlated with number of branches, flower stalk length, flower diameter, days to bud initiation, first flower opening, flower yield per plant and per m2, whereas, plant height has positive correlation with plant spread, number of branches per plant, flower stalk length and flower diameter. The study concludes that the genotype AMS-3 is the best amongst all the genotype with respect to flower yield and flowering duration. The various growth parameters viz. plant spread, number of branches, flower diameter, days to bud initiation, days to first flower opening and number of flowers per plant has positive correlation with flower yield, hence, these characters may be considered as selection indices in improving yield attributes in marigold.

Evaluation of genetic variability in fragrant rose (Rosa × hybrida L.) cultivars under open field cultivations

Twenty six rose (Rosa × hybrida L.) cultivars grown for open field conditions were characterized using 16 vegetative and floral traits to obtain information on the nature and magnitude of existing genetic variability. The cultivars, Night Time, Christian Dior and Pusa Abhishek were early in flowering and Local Collection 3, Local Collection 4, Kashmir Velvet and Edouard had longer flowering duration; Christian Dior and Bonne Nuit had bigger flowers; Pusa Bahadur had long flower stalk; Local Collection 3, Local Collection 4, Edouard and Kashmir Velvet were having more number of flowers per plant and Pusa Bahadur, Night Time and Christian Dior were found with higher flower weight and shall help in further selection and hybridisation. The higher genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation were recorded for plant height, plant spread (E-W), plant spread (N-S), stem girth, number of shoots/ plant, number of petals/ flower, flower stalk length, number of flowers/ plant and 100-flower weight, indicating that genotypic variation contributed markedly towards total variability for the above traits. There is a greater scope for selection in improving flower yield. The high heritability with high expected genetic advance over mean (GAM) was observed for plant height, plant spread (E-W), plant spread (N-S), stem girth, number of shoots/ plant, flower bud length, flower diameter and flower stalk length. This also revealed the lesser influence of environment on these traits. Therefore, simple selection based on phenotypic values for these traits could be useful in their improvement for achieving higher flower yield. The trait specification identified genotypes could ideally be used as donor parents in rose breeding programme to develop desired genotypes for open field cultivation.