Cultivation Of Gladiolus Research Articles

Profitability analysis of cut flower cultivation in Bangladesh: Constraints and opportunities

Bangladesh has immense potential for cut flower production and export to the world market. Although the export earnings from cut flower cultivation are gradually increasing in our country, production and profitability are hindered by some constraints. The present study was undertaken in Jashore (Jhikargachha) and Dhaka (Savar) districts to examine the financial profitability, constraints, and opportunities of cut-flower cultivation in Bangladesh. A total of 120 cut flower cultivating farmers were selected for interview in 2019, taking 60 sample farmers from each location. Multi-stage random sampling method was followed to collect primary data. For profitability analysis, two cut flowers, namely gladiolus and rose, were selected for the study. The result indicates that per hectare total cost, net return, and benefit-cost ratio (BCR) were Tk. 687439, Tk. 261509 and 1.38, respectively, for gladiolus cultivation. On the other hand, net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and BCR of rose cultivation were Tk. 2325762, 146%, and 1.46, respectively, indicating that rose production is highly profitable to the farmers of the study areas. Despite such potentialities, cut flower cultivation was constrained by the requirement of high initial investment, lack of modern varieties, lack of credit facility, lack of storage facility, attack by pests & diseases, and uncertain market price. However, there is a huge scope to increase cut flower production by removing constraints in Bangladesh that can boost up livelihoods, incomes, and living conditions of rural people. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 13(2): 41-48, Dec 2023

Effect of gamma irradiation on growth and corm yield of gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus) varieties

The data analysis has revealed distinct performance trends among different aspects of gladiolus cultivation. Specifically, Arka Kesar, a gladiolus variety, demonstrated superior growth characteristics, excelling in terms of plant height, the length and width of the longest leaf at both 30 and 60 days after planting (DAP). On the other hand, Arka Tilak outperformed in the number of corms and cormels per plant. Furthermore, the application of gamma irradiation at a level of 1.25 kr was found to be advantageous for several growth parameters. It positively influenced plant height, the number of leaves per hill, the length and width of the longest leaf at both 30 and 60 DAP, as well as the number of corms and cormels per plant. In conclusion, the study suggests that the Arka Kesar variety, when subjected to 1.25 kr gamma irradiation, displayed significant superiority across multiple growth parameters in gladiolus cultivation in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, India. However, for corm yield specifically, Arka Tilak irradiated with 1.25 kr demonstrated better performance. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing gladiolus cultivation practices in the region.

Cultivation cycle and quality of floral stems of gladiolus cultivars in the Cerrado Brazilian

The growth and development of gladiolus, a cut flower widely used in decorations and commemorative dates, are influenced by the ambient temperature. Elevated temperatures shorten the growing cycle and accelerate flowering, while low temperatures delay development. Four gladiolus cultivars (White Goddess, Purple Flora, Green Star, Yester e Spic en Span) were evaluated for growth, development, and quality of floral stems, during autumn, in average temperatures of 24.31ºC. During the vegetative period, White Goddess presented the highest plant height. Entry into the reproductive stage R1 occurred between 56.81 and 65.41 days after planting and harvesting in R3 occurred between 63 and 77 days. Purple Flora stood out as the earliest cultivar and Spic en Span as the early. The gladiolus plants had a plant height greater than 90 cm and an inflorescence diameter greater than 5 mm at harvest, values within the required commercial standards. However, Green Star and Spic en Span had several rapiers below 8, an undesirable value. The cultivar White Goddess had the highest longevity, 6.75 days. The cultivation of gladiolus in regions with a Brazilian tropical climate allows a reduction in the cultivation cycle, and production of floral stems within commercialization standards.

Fenofases de floração e caracterização morfoagronômica de cultivares de Palma de Santa Rita

Abstract The characterization of flowering phenophases and morphoagronomic knowledge is important for crop management and harvest programming. This study aimed to evaluate the duration of reproductive phenophases and conduct morpho-agronomic characterization of gladiolus cultivars. Two experiments were conducted, one in a shaded environment and the other in a full sun environment. A split-plot design in randomized blocks was used, which consisted of the planting system with single rows and twin rows in the plots and the cultivars (White Goddess, Traderhorn, Peter Pears, and Gold Field) in the subplots. The reproductive phenophases, plant development and productivity of each cultivar were evaluated. The flowering cycle lasted from 58 to 65 days when the cultivars were grown in the shaded environment, while the duration of this cycle ranged from 78 to 87 days in the full sun environment. The yield of the Gold Field cultivar was significantly higher when grown in twin rows compared to single-row planting. A shaded environment and twin-row planting are the recommended conditions for the cultivation of gladiolus in the state of Mato Grosso since they promote better stem development and early flowering of the cultivars. The Peter Pears and Gold Field cultivars are recommended for cultivation in the region due to their greater production of marketable stems.

Effects Of Different Planting Times and Corm Sizes on Plant Growth, Development, and Flower Production Of Gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus) under Sanliurfa Conditions

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of different planting times and corm sizes on plant growth, development, and flower yield in Gladiolus. The Red Beauty variety was used as the study material. In the study, two corm sizes (10–12 and 12–14 cm) and five different planting times (April 1, April 15, May 1, May 15, and June 1) were used. The sprouting time (day), flowering time (day), plant height (cm), number of leaves (number/plant), length of the flower stem (cm), length of the spike (cm), number of florets (number/spike), thickness of the flower stem (mm), diameter of the new corm (cm), circumference of the new corm (cm), number of new corms (number/plant), weight of new corm (g/plant), number of cormels (number/plant) and weight (g/plant) and corm yield (g/plot) were determined. We determined that the planting times indicated were suitable for cultivation under Sanliurfa conditions in terms of yield and quality. The best Gladiolus cultivation times in Sanliurfa varied, but the best results were obtained from large corms (12–14 cm). As the temperature increased, corm growth times increased, and plant height, number of leaves, new corm weight, and cormel number and weight decreased. The maximum flowering time and parcel yield were obtained from the fifth planting (June 1), the longest spikes, maximum number of florets, maximum number of cormels and greatest cormel weight, and greatest plant height were determined from the first and second planting times. There was no significant difference between planting times for the other investigated parameters. The large corms (12–14 cm) were observed to be better than small corms (10–12 cm) for increases in most of the parameters investigated.

Efficacy of 5-sulpho salicylic acid to improve vase life of gladiolus

Gladiolus is one of the most important bulbous cut flowers in domestic and international market. The commercial cultivation of gladiolus in India is increasing in terms of area, production and market. Due to rapid urbanization, change in life style, mall culture consumption of flowers has increased significantly. The longevity of cut flowers is one of the main challenges of florists today. Because, one the most important factors for consumers, apart from its external quality, is vase life of cut flower. The longevity of gladiolus cut flowers is very short. The typical vase life of individual spike is just 4 to 6 days depending upon cultivar. Therefore, the present study was carried out at the Division of Floriculture and Landscaping, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi with an objective of identifying new eco friendly chemical for increasing the vase life of gladiolus cv. Gunjan. The experiment consisted of eight treatments (three chemicals in different combinations) and replicated thrice. From the present studies it was observed that 5 sulpho salicylic acid @ 1 mM SAA+ 4% Sucrose (T4) increased the vase life of cut flowers up to 9.11 days as compared to control (5 days) and the treatment T4 was statistically at par with T7 (400 ppm 8-HQC). So, it can be concluded that 5 sulpho salicylic acid is a very good alternative of 8HQC, as it is a cost-effective chemical, easily available and environmental friendly.

Techno-economic evaluation of gravity fed drip irrigation and nitrogen nutrition on gladiolus in Gangetic alluvial plains of eastern India

Optimization of water and nitrogen is vital for gladiolus production. Field experiments were carried out during rabi seasons of 2012-13, 2013-2014 and 2014-15 to evaluate the four irrigation regimes (gravity-fed drip irrigation schedule at 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 of pan evaporation replenishment, E0 including surface irrigation as control) and three settings of nitrogen nutrition (100% RDN as vermicompost, 50% RDN as vermicompost + 50% RDN as fertilizer and 100% RDN as fertilizer) on gladiolus cv. American beauty. The results showed that under assured irrigation water supply, maximum spike and corm yields, gross return, net return and BCR (3.44) was obtained with optimal drip irrigation at 1.0 E0 with 50% RDN as vermicompost + 50% RDN as fertilizer. However, under limited irrigation water supply, moderate deficit drip irrigation at 0.8 E0 with 50% RDN as vermicompost + 50% RDN as fertilizer was found most viable alternative in deriving higher yields, gross return, net return and BCR (3.32). Under water scarce, reasonable good yields, gross return, net return and BCR (2.62) was accomplished with higher deficit drip irrigation at 0.6 E0 with 50% RDN as vermicompost + 50% RDN as fertilizer. The findings highlight the techno-economic feasibility of low-cost gravity drip irrigation and nitrogen management for efficient utilization of available groundwater and nitrogen resources for profitable gladiolus cultivation in Gangetic alluvial plains of eastern India.

Diversidad de trips (Insecta: Thysanoptera: Thripidae) asociados al cultivo de gladiolo en México

El gladiolo es una planta ornamental de corte con alta demanda durante todo el año en México, generando una fuerte actividad económica y social. Los trips son la principal plaga que lo afecta, y que mayor control requiere, pero se desconoce la identidad de las especies que lo dañan. El presente estudio tuvo la finalidad de conocer la diversidad de especies de trips asociadas al cultivo de gladiolo en dos regiones productoras del estado de México. Se establecieron dos parcelas: la parcela uno ubicada en Ixtlahuaca, de la región norte, caracterizada por un manejo poco intensivo; en tanto que la parcela dos estuvo en Villa Guerrero, de la región sureste, caracterizada por un manejo intensivo y considerada la principal región productora de ornamentales. Se utilizaron 100 espigas florales por parcela para capturar los trips al final del ciclo de cultivo. Los resultados indicaron la presencia de dos géneros, cinco especies fitófagas presentes en la región norte, y un género depredador; mientras que en la región sureste se presentaron los dos mismos géneros pero con la presencia de 12 especies, una de las cuales es nueva para México. Thrips simplex fue la especie más abundante en las dos parcelas evaluadas.

Efficacy of vermicompost and/or plant growth promoting bacteria on the plant growth and development in gladiolus

The use of environmental and sustainable ornamental flower production practices with renewable resources has drawn worldwide interest. One of these renewable resources is vermicompost (earthworm castings). In recent years, increasing demand for improving environmental quality have focused on the importance of Plant Growth Promotion Bacteria (PGPBs) in agriculture. Vermicomposts also help microbial agents function effectively in soil. In this study, a total of six treatments [A: PGPB formulation, B: Not autoclaved vermicompost, C: Autoclaved vermicompost, D: Not autoclaved vermicompost+PGPBs, E: Autoclaved vermicompost+PGPBs, F: Control (untreated bacteria and vermicompost)] were tested for their effects on the plant growth and development parameters in gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus L. ‘Red Beauty’) in greenhouse condition. Vermicompost was added to the related pots by dissolving in water. After the addition of vermicompost, PGPB formulation was given immediately to related pots. All the treatments were applied to soil once in three leaf stage, close to the plant root zone. Parameters in terms of yield and quality attributes of plant and corm were determined and analyzed. The treatment A increased in plant height of gladiolus of 24.55% rate. The earliest times to flowering was determined in E application (100.48 day), which also increased in corm diameter with rate of 17.41% and number of corms and cormels with rate of 151.83% according to F application. Results indicated that the treatment E promoted overall better performance as compared to other treatments diameter of flowers for number of leaves per plant, number of florets per spike, stem diameter, spike length, fresh and dry weight of flowers, the number and diameter of corm. Autoclaved vermicompost can be good choice in gladiolus cultivation but it should be enriched with PGPB.

Elimination of Bean yellow mosaic virus from infected cormels of three cultivars of gladiolus using thermo-, electro- and chemotherapy.

Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) is a prevalent virus and major threat to gladiolus cultivation the world over. In the gladiolus repository at CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow, several plants (82-88%) of three economically important cultivars were found infected by BYMV showing severe mosaic and stripe symptoms. Affected plants exhibit diminished quality and quantity of florets and corms, thus reducing their value. Attempts were made to eliminate BYMV from the infected gladiolus cormel explants in vitro through thermotherapy (37°C for 30days), chemotherapy (30mg/L ribavirin for 30days), and electrotherapy (30mA for 20min), either alone and in different combinations. The in vitro regenerated plants were free from BYMV infection when checked by RT-PCR using BYMV-specific primers. The combination of electro- and chemotherapies has given the best response as compared to other treatments. Among the individual therapies, electrotherapy (30mA/20min) was found to be the best for and production of BYMV-free gladiolus plants (44-46%) with moderate regeneration efficiency (54-58%) followed by chemotherapy and thermotherapy. However, the cormels obtained from a combination of electro- and chemotherapy treatment (30mA/20min + 30mg/L) has given highest virus free (46-52%) and highest therapy efficiency indices (56%) as compared to other treatments. Further, these cormels showed better developed root systems and produced more cormels which were larger in size as compared to the other treatments and control when grown in tissue culture media.

Influence of size and plant growth regulators on corm and cormel production of gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus L.)

Gladiolus is an excellent cut flower grown throughout the world for its spikes with florets of massive form, brilliant colours, attractive shapes, varying size and long shelf life. However, major constraint for gladiolus cultivation is the corm dormancy. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) play an important role in breaking dormancy and promote more number of quality corm and cormel productions in gladiolus. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to study the influence of corm size and plant growth regulators on corm and cormel production of gladiolus during the period from October 2017 to April 2018 at the Landscaping section of the Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. The two-factor experiment included two corm sizes viz., 3-4 cm and 4.1-5 cm, and two PGRs viz., GA3 @ 250, 500 and 750 ppm; and NAA @ 100, 200 and 300 ppm along with tap water as control. The experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The results revealed that the corm size and PGRs at different concentrations significantly influenced the corm and cormel producing attributes of gladiolus. Maximum number of corms and cormels per plant, maximum weight of single corm, maximum weight of corms and cormels per plant, biggest size of single corm, highest yield of corms and cormels per hectare were recorded from 4.1-5 cm sized corms and GA3 @ 500 ppm, compared to rest of the treatments. It was observed that combined treatments had significant influence on all the parameters studied. The treatment combination of 4.1-5 cm sized corms and GA3 @ 500 ppm was found to be best in terms of corm and cormel production of gladiolus.Progressive Agriculture 29 (2): 91-98, 2018

Management of corm size and soil water content for gladiolus flower production

Gladiolus grandiflorus Andrews, in the family Iridaceae, is one of the most produced and marketed flowers in the world. In general, however, research results on gladioli production factors are scarce and divergent. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of corm size and soil water content on gladiolus flower production. The experimental design, using the early maturity cultivar ‘White Friendship’, was entirely randomized, arranged in a 5 x 2 factorial scheme (five soil water contents: 25; 50; 75; 100; and 125% field capacity, combined with two corm sizes: medium and big), with four replications per treatment. Each replication, composed of one pot, comprised three corms, totaling 40 pots and 120 plants. Both vegetative and flowering characteristics were evaluated. Gladiolus cultivation at 80% soil field capacity presents best results for commercialization, generating longer flower stems with greater diameter and flower number, plus larger flowers. Furthermore, such soil water content promotes the shortest cultivation period

Nucleotide diversity and phylogenetic relationships among Gladiolus cultivars and related taxa of family Iridaceae.

The plastid genome regions of two intergenic spacers, psbA-trnH and trnL-trnF, were sequenced to study the nucleotide diversity and phylogenetic relationships among Gladiolus cultivars. Nucleotide diversity of psbA-trnH region was higher than trnL-trnF region of chloroplast. We employed Bayesian, maximum parsimony (MP) and neighbour-joining (NJ) approaches for phylogenetic analysis of Gladiolus and related taxa using combined datasets from chloroplast genome. The psbA-trnH and trnL-trnF intergenic spacers of Gladiolus and related taxa-like Babiana, Chasmanthe, Crocus, Iris, Moraea, Sisyrinchium, Sparaxis and two out group species (Hymenocallis littoralis and Asphodeline lutea) were used in the present investigation. Results showed that subfamily Iridoideae have sister lineage with subfamily Ixioideae and Crocoideae. H. littoralis and A. lutea were separately attached at the base of tree as the diverging Iridaceae relative's lineage. Present study revealed that psbA-trnH region are useful in addressing questions of phylogenetic relationships among the Gladiolus cultivars, as these intergenic spacers are more variable and have more phylogenetically informative sites than the trnL-trnF spacer, and therefore, are suitable for phylogenetic comparison on a lower taxonomic level. Gladiolus cultivars are extensively used as an ornamental crop and showed high potential in floriculture trade. Gladiolus cultivation still needs to generate new cultivars with stable phenotypes. Moreover, one of the most popular methods for generating new cultivars is hybridization. Hence, information on phylogenetic relationships among cultivars could be useful for hybridization programmes for further improvement of the crop.

Effect of foliar application of micronutrients on growth, flowering and yield of gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus L.)

An experiment was laid out to study the effect of micronutrients (B, Zn and Fu) in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and 10 treatments on growth flowering and yield characters of gladiolus at the Horticulture Research Farm, Andro, College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Imphal. The treatments consisted of T1 (Control), T2 (100 ppm B), T3 (200 ppm B), T4 (300 ppm B), T5 (100 ppm Zn), T6 (200 ppm Zn), T7 (300 ppm Zn), T8 (100 ppm Fe), T9 (200 ppm Fe) and T10 (300 ppm Fe). Observations were recorded on vegetative parameters at 30 and 60 DAP, flowering, flower yield and corm and cormel parameters. From the present study, it was found that among the various treatments, foliar application of T7 (300 ppm Zn) significantly influenced all the vegetative parameters i.e. plant height (cm), number of leaves and length of leaf at 30 and 60 DAP. Also, significantly maximum duration of flowering, length of the spike, yield of spike per m2, yield of spikes per hectare, diameter of the corm, weight of the corm, number of cormels per plant and yield of corm per hectare were found with foliar application of T7 (300 ppm Zn). However, maximum fresh weight of the spike was found in T4 (300 ppm B). Control recorded minimum value in all the vegetative, flowering and corm parameters. Hence, foliar application of 300 ppm Zn at 30 and 60 DAP can be a part of recommendation for commercial cultivation of gladiolus.

Morpho-anatomical changes in gladiolus due to infection by Meloidogyne incognita

Meloidogyne incognita is emerging as a major problem in the successful cultivation of gladiolus. The present study was aimed to study the effect of M. incognita on some plant growth parameters of gladiolus cv. ‘Sylvia’ and to demonstrate the histopathological changes in gladioli due to M. incognita infestation. During the experiment, gladiolus crop was found severely infested with M. incognita and showed significant reduction in plant growth parameters and flower production. In severe infestation, no flower was produced. The histopathology of plant roots revealed that 2ndstage juveniles penetrated into root cortex and moved along the cortical layer of cells and started feeding. During feeding process, they produced some hypertrophied cells in vascular cylinder and hyperplasia in pericycle regions. The hypertrophied cells were metabolically highly active, multinucleate and contained dense cytoplasm. In gladiolus, 4–6 such hypertrophied cells were observed in vascular tissues and stellar region of roots. Though the site of infection was vascular tissue but due to the nematode development and giant cell formation, the entire nematode complex and giant cells appeared irregular in root section. The nematodes damaged complete thickness of roots and this condition lead to the destruction of feeder roots which ultimately affected plant growth by reducing water and nutrient absorption from soil.

English

Gladiolus is an important estimated 8th in the world cut flower trade’s cut flower grown throughout the world for its elegant attractive spikes of different hues and good keeping quality. The commercial cultivation of Gladiolus is based on natural multiplication of corms and cormels. However, multiplication rate of corms and cormels is slow and the conventional method of propagation is insufficient to meet the demand of planting material and eventually affect the final cost of corms. A number of improved conventional techniques including division of the corms, removal of leaf and flower spikes, use of standard corm size, and mechanical removal of sprouts can increase the multiplication rate of corms and cormels. These improved conventional methods of propagation are insufficient to meet the demand of planting materials. In vitro techniques are applicable for the propagation of corm producing species. These techniques are adopted at commercial level in order to fulfill supply gap of huge demand. A number of in vitro protocols have been developed for regeneration of Gladiolus plantlets using different media by using various explants sources of the plant. However, literature is rather scanty on in vitro cormel formation and acclimatization of in vitro propagules. Key words: Corms, cormels, galdiolus, propagation.

Soil water content and wood ash fertilization on the cultivation of gladiolus

ABSTRACT Irrigation management, associated with the management of fertilization through the use of waste from plant material burning, has proven to be a sustainable strategy to increase the production of ornamental plants in greenhouses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the development of gladiolus subjected to soil water contents and wood ash fertilization in a Cerrado Oxisol. The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions from April to September 2014, in a randomized block design, arranged in a 5 x 5 factorial, with four replicates. The treatments consisted of five water contents (7, 14, 21, 28, and 35%) and five doses of wood ash (0, 8, 16, 24 and 32 g dm-3). Irrigation management was carried out using the portable probe Diviner 2000® . The evaluated variables were: plant height, number of leaves, shoot and root dry matter and diameter and mass of corms. The best results for diameter and mass of corms and number of leaves were obtained with combinations of soil water contents higher than 24% and fertilization with wood ash doses higher than 11 g dm-3.

Desenvolvimento de gladíolos em função da adubação nitrogenada e diâmetro do cormo

<p> O gladíolo é uma das plantas ornamentais mais cultivadas no Brasil, entretanto poucas são as informações científicas relacionadas à cultura. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar o efeito da adubação nitrogenada e tamanho do cormo no crescimento e floração de <em>Gladiolus grandiflorus </em>‘San Remo’. O experimento foi conduzido na área de Jardinocultura da Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD) em Dourados – MS. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteira­mente casualizado e os tratamentos dispostos em parcelas subdivididas, sendo as parcelas constituídas dos diâmetros dos bulbos (grandes entre 40 e 55 mm; médios entre 20 e 40 mm e pequenos inferior a 10 mm), e as subparcelas de três doses de nitrogênio (30, 50 e 70 kg ha-1), com 10 repetições. Foram avaliados o número de folhas, o comprimento da folha, o início da floração, o número de botões por espiga floral, a durabilidade da flor, a duração da floração e o número de cormilhos. As hastes florais produzidas foram classificadas como Classe III. A adubação nitrogenada foi mais eficiente para o crescimento de cormos de tamanho médio e pequeno, sendo que doses superiores a 50 kg ha -1 promoveram os melhores resultados. Em relação à floração, cormos de tamanho grande e a adubação nitrogenada de 30 kg ha -1 atrasaram seu início. Recomenda-se a utilização de cormos de tamanho médio e adubação nitrogenada de 50 kg ha -1 para o cultivo de <em>Gladiolus grandiflorus </em>‘San Remo’.</p>

An economic analysis of gladiolus cultivation in Jammu district of J&K state

Gladiolus flower is assuming great importance in the state of Jammu and Kashmir like in other states of the country. Keeping this in view, a study has been conducted to analyse the economics of gladiolus cultivation for the years 2011–12 and 2012–2013 in Jammu district of J&K state. Primary data on costs and returns of the crop were collected by interviewing the farmers through personal visits with the help of an especially structured and pre-tested schedule. The per acre cost of cultivation (C2) of gladiolus were estimated to be 210140.00 in the first year and 70140.00 in second year on sampled farms. The ‘Cost A1 ’ constituted the whole direct cost were 159116.80 and 19116.80/acre, ‘Cost A2’ were 170316.80 and 30316.80 per acre, ‘Cost B1 ’ were 164815 and 24815.00 per acre, ‘Cost B2 ’ were 208580.00 and 68580.00 per acre and ‘Cost C1 ’ was 166375.00 and 26375.00 per acre for first year and second year respectively on sampled farms. The gross return was 300000.00 per acre in both years on sampled farms. The net return was highest in case of second year i.e. 229860.00 per acre compared to the net return in first year i.e. 89860.00/acre. The Cost-Benefit ratio was highest in case of second year (4.28) compared to that of first year (1.43).

Cultivo de gladíolos em função das doses de calcário e potássio

Para o cultivo do gladíolo no Cerrado, caracterizado por solos de baixa fertilidade e elevada acidez, faz-se necessário o uso de corretivo agrícola e fertilização, especialmente a potássica. Assim, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar o efeito de diferentes doses de calcário e de potássio na produção comercial de plantas de gladíolo, cultivadas em um Latossolo Vermelho Distroférrico. O experimento foi conduzido na UFGD, em Dourados (MS). O delineamento experimental constou de blocos casualizados com quatro repetições, sendo que a unidade experimental foi composta por duas plantas de gladíolos, cultivar Peter Pears, cultivadas em vaso plástico de 5 L. Os tratamentos foram arranjados em parcelas subdivididas, sendo que nas parcelas foram alocadas as cinco doses de calcário dolomítico (0, 1, 2, 4 e 8 t ha-1) e, nas sub-parcelas, as cinco doses de K2O (0, 20, 40, 80 e 160 kg ha-1), utilizando-se como fonte o cloreto de potássio (KCl). Determinaram-se o comprimento das folhas, o início da floração, a durabilidade e o número de botões florais, a altura da planta e o comprimento das espigas. Após a floração, avaliou-se a matéria fresca, comprimento e diâmetro dos cormos produzidos e o teor de nutrientes da parte aérea. O comprimento das folhas, início da floração e durabilidade dos botões florais não foram influenciados pela calagem nem pela adubação potássica. O excesso de K e CaCO3 foram prejudiciais à altura da planta e ao comprimento da espiga floral, reduzindo o número de botões florais e o diâmetro dos cormos produzidos; doses elevadas de K2O diminuíram a absorção de magnésio pelas plantas. Conclui-se que as doses de calcário e potássio estudadas não foram eficientes para produzir plantas de gladíolo classificadas comercialmente como extras.