Sabina George, TJomy, JacobKAU2019-06-292019-06-292011http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810110557PGAnthurium andreanum Lind. is cultivated globally for its attractive flowers and foliage. Kerala is identified as one of the most suitable places for growing Anthuriums because of the congenial climatic conditions similar to its natural habitat. For the nutrition of Anthuriums, standardization of eco-friendly organic manures is a felt need of growers. Though several organic nutrient dosages and an integrated nutrient dosage have been found promising for juvenile to mature tissue cultured plants of the Anthurium, these differed in their content of nutrients, constituent organic-inorganic fractions, components and their frequency of application. Refinement of these dosages and formulation of modified organic nutrient regimes consisting of easily available and eco friendly cost effective organic materials were intended in this investigation. Thus, an investigation was conducted at the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani of the Kerala Agricultural University during 2009-2011 for a period of 18 months. The experiment was in CRD with 12 treatment combinations of 2 cultivars ( Anthurium andreanum cv. Acropolis and cv. Tropical) and 6 nutrient regimes The nutrient supplied under N1 to N4 was 2.15: 1.47: 2.37 N:P2O5:K2O g plant-1 (total per bimonth), and under N5 and N6 was 2.41:4.73:1.89 N:P2O5:K2O g plant-1 (total per bimonth)]. All the treatments were given weekly application of cow dung slurry 0.83 g/ plant. N1 comprised of organic manure mix 12.4 g plant-1 applied weekly (containing coir pith compost, bone meal, neem cake and wood ash) + Cow’s urine 8 ml/plant weekly. Modified organic manure mix 25.96 g plant-1 (containing wood ash, cow dung and bone meal) applied weekly for N2, 51.925 g plant-1 applied biweekly for N3, 103.85 g plant-1 applied monthly for (N4). N5 comprised of organic manure mix 40 g plant-1applied bimonthly (containing leaf compost, coir pith compost, bone meal, neem cake, poultry manure and wood ash) +NPK Fertilizer (18:18:18) @1 g plant-1 weekly. N6 comprised of organic manure mix 40 g plant-1 applied bimonthly (containing leaf compost, coir pith compost, bone meal, neem cake, poultry manure and wood ash) + Organic manure mix (containing cow dung, leaf compost, bone meal, and wood ash ) applied weekly. The first experiment was aimed at standardizing organic nutrient regimes for flower production from top cuttings in Anthurium andreanum cv. Acropolis and cv. Tropical. Vegetative characters such as the total number of newly emerged leaves upto 6, 12 and 18 MAP, annual leaf production, total leaf area at 6, 12 and 18 MAP, mean petiole length at 6, 12 and 18 MAP, mean phyllochron, days from emergence to senescence of leaves, rate of sucker production were found to differ significantly among manurial treatments. A comparative enhancement in vegetative characters such as number of leaves, leaf area, petiole length, annual leaf production and leaf duration, and lesser interval between leaf emergence were observed in plants under N2, N3, N4 and N6. These treatments also recorded greater number of flowers as well as annual flower production per plant, shorter mean interval between flower emergence and lesser days to harvestable maturity of flowers than organic treatment with cows urine weekly (N1) and organic inorganic integrated regime (N5). The manurial treatments of modified organic treatment applied biweekly (N3), monthly (N4) and organic treatment with manure mix bimonthly (N6) increased the length and width of the spathe, greater girth of flower stalk. The vase life of flower were found greater under modified organic treatment weekly (N2), biweekly (N3) and organic treatment with cows urine weekly (N1). Similarly, water uptake was higher in plants treated with modified organic treatment applied biweekly and weekly than under organic inorganic integrated regime. The organic inorganic integrated regime was found to effect in higher N and P content of leaves than all other treatments. Higher K content of leaves was recorded under N3 regime. The second experiment was aimed at standardization of nutrient regime(s) for sucker production and subsequent flower production from basal stem stumps in Anthurium andreanum cv. Acropolis and cv. Tropical. Modified organic treatment applied weekly (N2), biweekly (N3) and monthly (N4) recorded greater total leaf area of shoots from 3 MAP until separation, number and length of roots at separation, total length of suckers and number of leaves at retention and thereafter, lesser interval between leaf emergence and greater longevity of leaves and greater petiole length at 18 MAP, length, number of leaves and mean petiole length of retained suckers at 18 MAP, earlier and greater flower production. Modified organic treatment applied biweekly (N3) also recorded higher total number of suckers and rate of sucker production. Cultivar differences in vegetative and floral characters were found to be distinct in both experiments. In the planted basal stumps of experiment 2, sprouting and sucker development was observed. However, earlier sprouting and development of sprouts into shoots was observed in cv. Tropical than in Acropolis. In Experiment 1, though the treatments N2, N3 and N4 had equal effects on leaf production, total leaf area, flower production and shorter interval between flower emergence, in economic analysis, the treatment expenditure increasing from N4 to N2 can be a limiting factor determining their relative feasibility. The advantages in suckering observed in these cultivars in experiment 2, resulted in greater net value realization of cv. Acropolis under modified organic treatment applied biweekly (N3) and monthly (N4) and in cv. Tropical under modified organic treatment applied biweekly (N3).ennullThesis