Economic Analysis of Gladiolus Cultivation: Towards Sustainable and Profitable Floriculture in Sub Temperate Regions of India

Abstract

Current study was conducted during 2022 and 2023 at Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan (Himachal Pradesh) to evaluate the economic performance of fourteen gladiolus varieties under open-field conditions. The genotypes studied included American Beauty, Arka Amar, Arka Ranjini, Gulal, UHFS Gla 1-27, UHFS Gla 2-25, UHFS Gla 3-24, UHFS Gla 3-41, UHFS Gla 4-48, UHFS Gla 9-16, Nova Lux, Pusa Kiran, Solan Mangla and Thamboliana. The trial was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. Data on spike yield, corm production and selling price were used to calculate gross return, net return and benefit-cost (B:C) ratio. Among all, Arka Amar recorded the highest gross return (₹44.88 lakh/ha), net return (₹32.53 lakh/ha) and B:C ratio (2.64). Higher market prices and spike yield contributed to superior economic returns in these genotypes. Nova Lux showed least gross return (₹26.64 lakh/ha), net return (₹14.29 lakh/ha) and B:C ratio (1.16) thereby least economic efficiency due to minimum corm and spike yields. The cost of cultivation remained fixed at ₹12,34,416.24/ha, with planting material and transportation accounting for the major share. Visual traits such as number of florets per spike showed a direct relationship with market price and profitability. The results highlight the importance of selecting commercially suitable genotypes based on yield and economic potential under standard cultivation practices in mid-hill conditions.