Effects of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Level on Growth and Floral Attributes of Gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus L.) cv. Nova Lux

Abstract

Gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus L.) is a networthy flower crop within India. The crop's growth and flowering have been notably impacted by the prevailing climate and agro-climatic conditions of the region, resulting in decreased yield and productivity. One of the main contributing factors is the absence of fertiliser recommendations tailored to specific locations, among other factors. Thus, a field experiments were conducted for two consecutive seasons during 2020-2021 & 2021–2022. A field study was carried out at the Horticulture Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Allied Industries, Rama University, Kanpur (U.P.). The experiment used a Randomized Block Design with 13 treatments and three replications of different levels of N, P2O5 and K2O. The experiment's major goals were to assess the effects of N, P2O5 and K2O on growth and floral attributes of Gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus L.) cv. Nova Lux. According to the results of the current study, Treatment T11 (NPK @150:100:120) had the best effects on growth attributes like Days to 50% sprouting [8.65 (2020-21), 8.69 (2021-22) and 8.67 (Pooled)] days, Plant height [77.87 (2020-21), 80.57 (2021-22) and 79.22 (Pooled)] cm at harvest, Number of leaves per plant [8.77 (2020-21), 8.95 (2021-22) and 8.86 (Pooled)] at harvest & Days to emergence of spike [71.45 (2020-21), 71.21 (2021-22) and 71.33 (Pooled)] days. It also had significant effects on flowering attributes like Flowering duration [16.80 (2020-21), 16.92 (2021-22) and 16.86 (Pooled)] days, Length of spike [87.35 (2020-21), 87.79 (2021-22) and 87.57 (Pooled)] cm, Days taken for first floret opening [109.95 (2020-21), 110.25 (2021-22) and 110.10 (Pooled)] days, Length of florets [9.87 (2020-21), 9.93 (2021-22) and 9.90 (Pooled)] cm, Diameter of florets [7.78 (2020-21), 7.87 (2021-22) and 7.83 (Pooled)] cm & Number of florets opened at a time (125 DAP) i.e., [5.67 (2020-21), 5.71 (2021-22) and 5.69 (Pooled)].