Effect of mulching and nitrogen application on growth and flowering of Gypsophila elegans M. Bieb

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Date
2020
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-
Abstract
In many crops mulching leads to improvement in quantity as well as quality when combined with nitrogen application. So the present study was planned to investigate the effect of mulching and nitrogen on growth and flowering of annual Gypsophila (Gypsophila elegans M. Bieb) which is highly valued as cut filler and is extensively used in flower arrangements and bouquets worldwide. The seedlings were planted during Rabi season in the year 2019-20 at Research Farm, Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with three replications comprising of three mulch treatments, paddy straw mulch (6 tonnes/ha), polythene mulch (30 micron) and without mulch combined with three nitrogen applications N1 (5g+5g/m2), N2 (5 g/m2 +10 g/m2) and N0 (without nitrogen). The first application of nitrogen (5g/m2) was given as top dressing one month after transplanting while the second dose of 5g/m2 and 10g/m2, was applied one month after the first application for N1 and N2 respectively. It has been recorded that polythene mulch (30 micron) combined with N2 (5 g/m2 +10 g/m2) resulted in maximum plant height (58.20 cm), plant spread (58.07 cm), leaf breadth (9.10 mm), number of primary and tertiary branches per plant (9.14 and 14.85 respectively), flower size (15.37 mm) and yield (16.63) of cut stems per plant with acceptable (7.33 days) vase life. Flower opening has also been reported to be advanced over other treatments, owing to the favorable changes induced in the root zone due to polythene mulch by increasing the soil temperature underneath it. It can be concluded that nitrogen 5g/m2 one month after transplanting and again 10g/m2, one month after the first application combined with 30 microns polythene mulch (M2) is beneficial for growth and flower production in Gypsophila.
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Suriti (2020). Effect of mulching and nitrogen application on growth and flowering of Gypsophila elegans M. Bieb (Unpublished M.Sc. thesis). Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
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