Priyanka ThakurALI HAIDAR SHAH2024-03-122024-03-122024-03-04https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810207449“Effect of covering materials on off season flower production of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema x grandiflora Tzevelev.) cultivars under low hills of HP” were carried out at the experimental farm of the RHR&TS Dhaulakuan, Sirmour under Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, during 2022 and 2023 under naturally ventilated poly tunnels. The experiment was carried out using three types of covering materials (viz. tarpaulin, HDPE* and black satin cloth) and four cultivars each of standard and spray varieties. Findings revealed that HDPE* was the best alternative covering material to tarpaulin as optimum plant height (56.47 cm), plant spread (37.34 cm), maximum number of cut stems (3.14), and earliest coloured flower bud was recorded. Flowering was earlier under HDPE photoperiod than black satin cloth. Flower harvest was earliest (122.72 days) in plants under HDPE* cover as compared to plants under Black satin cloth conditions which took maximum number of days (131.63 days) to reach flowering. The varieties were categorized to different response group under controlled photoperiodic conditions with HDPE*. Out of eight varieties, only six varieties (‘Yellow Star’, ‘White Star’, ‘Purnima’ and ‘Surf’, ‘Apricot Parasol’, ‘Well Spring White’) were found suitable for off- season flower production for low hills of HP. *HDPE-High Density PolyethyleneEnglishThesis