DILTA, B.S.SINGH, JUJHAR2016-05-312016-05-312013http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/66503ABSTRACT The present studies entitled, “Standardization of growing substrates and N P K doses for growth and flowering of Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria hybrida L.)” were carried out at the Research Farm of Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan during the year 2010-2013. The experiment was laid out in Split Plot Design having 20 treatment combinations of four growing substrates and five NPK doses, replicated thrice with four plants per plot per treatment. Four growing substrates viz., sand: soil: FYM (1:1:1, v/v), rai forest soil, rhododendron forest soil and cocopeat and five NPK doses viz., NPK @ 30:15:30 g/m2 (as soil application ), NPK @ 100: 50: 100 ppm once a week, NPK @ 100: 50: 100 ppm twice a week, NPK @ 150: 100: 150 ppm once a week and NPK @ 150: 100: 150 ppm twice a week. The data were recorded on various growth, flowering and yield parameters for three consecutive years. The results revealed that plants grown in rhododendron forest soil recorded maximum values for plant height (112.90 cm), stem length (109.00 cm), number of shoots per plant (23.48 ), number of leaves per stem (39.09), number of flowers per stem (16.48), number of flowers per cyme (4.10), inflorescence size (7.90 cm), vase life (17.20 days), yield per plant (37.44 cut stems) and yield per plot (151.20 cut stems) as well as earliest flowering ( 141.50 days), respectively except stem thickness (6.80 mm) recorded in cocopeat. As regards the effect of NPK doses, fertigation with 150: 100: 150 ppm NPK twice a week recorded maximum values for plant height (120.00 cm), stem length (115.50 cm), stem thickness (7.53 mm), number of shoots per plant (25.88), number of leaves per stem (44.09), number of flowers per stem (18.69), number of flowers per cyme (4.54), inflorescence size (9.08 cm), vase life (18.06 days), yield per plant (41.08 cut stems) and yield per plot (164.20 cut stems) as well as earliest flowering (137.70 days), respectively. The interactive effects of growing substrates and NPK doses reveals that the rhododendron forest soil when fertigated with 150:100:150 ppm NPK twice a week, recorded maximum values in w.r.t. plant height (124.80 cm), stem length (120.90 cm), stem thickness (8.13 mm), number of leaves per stem (48.61), number of shoots per plant (29.61 ), early flowering (132.70 days), number of flowers per stem (21.58), number of flowers per cyme (5.06), inflorescence size (10.79 cm), vase life (19.11 days), yield per plant (47.28 cut stems) and yield per plot (189.11 cut stems), respectively. From the present study, it is concluded that growing substrate comprising of rhododendron forest soil and application of NPK dose @150;100:150 ppm twice a week through fertigation is best for commercial cultivation of alstroemeriaenplanting, developmental stages, ecological soil types, fertilizers, fertigation, harvesting, biological development, sand, farmyard manure, productivityAlstroemeria (Alstroemeria hybrida L.),StandardizationThesis