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Chrysanthemum
Botanical Name – Dendranthema grandiflora Tzeuleu
Family -Asteraceae

Importance

• It is an important flower crop grown all over the world. It gives more yields when grown in greenhouse.
• It belongs to “Compositae” family. In India, the commercial cultivation of Chrysanthemum is done because of its good demand.
• Flowers are mainly used for as cut flowers for party arrangements, religious offerings and garland making.
• It is an herbaceous perennial plant which attains the height of 50-150cm.
• Chrysanthemum farming is commercially done in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Maharashtra.

Varieties

1)Birbal Sahni:

• The variety gets mature in 121 days.
• The plant is 65cm tall.
• The plant has white color flowers which grow in bunch and having 4-8cm diameter.
• It gives an average yield of 13qtl/acre.

2)Baggi:

• The variety gets mature in 137 days.
• The plant is 64cm tall.
• The plant has white color flowers which grow in bunches and having 4-8cm diameter.
• It gives an average yield of 60qtl/acre.

3) Ratlaam Selection: 

• The variety gets ready in 138 days.
• The plant is 51cm tall.
• The plant has yellowish white color flowers which are 8.1cm in diameter.
• It gives an average yield of 72qtl/acre.

4)Punjab Gold:

• Early maturing variety.
• The variety gets ready in 76 days.
• The plant is 23cm tall.
• The plant has red color flower buds which becomes attractive yellow in color when matures.
• The flowers are 5-30cm in diameter.
• The variety is suitable for growing in pots.

5) Anmol:

• Late maturing variety.
• The variety gets ready in 114 days.
• The plant is 50cm tall.
• The plant has yellow color flowers which grow in bunches and having 40cm diameter.
• It gives an average yield of 13qtl/acre.
• Single plant of this variety gives bears approximately 208 flowers.
   
  6)Royal Purple: 
• Late maturing variety.
• The variety gets ready in 141 days.
• The plant is 45cm tall.
• The plant has purple-pink color flowers which grow in bunches and having 5.3cm diameter.
• Single plant of this variety gives bears approximately 201 flowers.
• This variety is also suitable for pot planting.
   
  7)Yellow delight: 
• Early maturing variety.
• The variety gets ready in 88 days.
• The plant is 66cm tall having attractive yellow color flowers.
• The flowers are 5.2cm in diameter.
• Single plant of this variety gives bears approximately 103 flowers.

8) Garden Beauty: 

• Medium maturing variety which gets mature in 132 days.
• The plant is 70 cm tall and flowers have 10 cm diameter which is uniform in color.
• It gives 73 flowers/plant.
• The flowering starts within 23 days of sowing. 

9)Winter Queen: 

• Medium maturing variety which gets mature in 128 days.
• The plant is 75 cm tall and flowers have 90 cm diameter which is uniform in color.
• It gives 125 flowers/plant.
• The flowering starts within 23 days of sowing.
  
  10)Atom Joy:
• Early maturing variety which gets mature in 101 days.
• The plant is 58cm tall.
• The variety contains pink color flowers which are 6.6cm in diameter.
• It gives 283flowers/plant.
• The flowering starts within 36 days of sowing.
  
  11)Kelvin Mandrin: 
• Dwarf flower variety which gives approximately 102 flowers.
• It has copper color flowers which are 4.5cm in diameter.
• The plant is 48cm tall.
• The variety starts flowering after 40 days.

12) Kelvin tattoo: 

• Dwarf flower variety which gives approximately 101 flowers.
• It has cadmium yellow color flowers which are red color from medium having diameter of 3.37cm.
• The plant is 41cm tall.
• The variety starts flowering after 31 days.

13)Reagan White:

• The variety starts flowering after 103 days.
• The plant is 45cm tall.
• It has white color flowers having diameter of 8.43cm.
• It gives 54flowers/plant.
  
  14) Reagan Emperor: 
• Single Korean variety which mature in 103 days.
• The plant is 78 cm tall and pink color flowers which has 8.15 cm diameter.
• It gives 25 flowers/plant.
• It matures in 30 days.

15)Yellow Charm: 

• Belongs to Cinerarias category.
• The variety has 15cm plant height.
• It gives 485 flowers/ plant.
• It has shining yellow color flowers having 3.5cm in diameter.
• This variety doesn’t require training and pruning and doesn’t require support.
• It matures in 36 days.
  
  16)Ajay: 
• Medium flower size variety which gets ready in 116 days.
• The plant has 55cm height and 79flowers per plant.
• It has shining yellow color flowers having 8.18cm diameter.
• The variety starts flowering after 37 days.

17) Mother Teresa: 

• Medium size variety of Enimon category which starts flowering in 102 days.
• It has 38 cm plant height which gives 150 flowers per plant.
• It has white color flowers which are cream or yellow in color from middle.
• The flowers have diameter of 5.5cm.
• It is a late maturing variety which starts blooming in December-January month.
• This variety doesn’t require training and pruning and doesn’t require support.

Other varieties: Kirti, Arka Swarna, Shanti, Y2K, Arka Ganga, Appu, Sadbhavana, Bindiya, MDU 1 (yellow colored flowers), Combaitore varieties such as CO 1 (yellow colored varieties) and CO 2 (purple colored flowers), Indira and Red Gold, Ravi Kiran, Akash, Yellow Start, Indira, Rakhee and Chandrakand are some more varieties which are used. 

 
Soil and Climate

Soil  – 

• Red loamy soil having well drainage system is good for Chrysanthemum farming.
• Soil having pH ranging from 6-7 is good for cultivation.

Climate – 

• The rate of vegetative growth and flowering are also affected by temperature.
• The optimum temperature of 15.6 0C is required.
• The relative humidity of 70 to 90% is suitable for the plants.

Propagation and planting

• Propagation of chrysanthemum is mainly done through root suckers and terminal stem cutting method.
• In terminal cutting method, cutting of healthy plant is done in the 4-5cm above in the month of middle-April-end-June.
• After cutting roots are treated with [email protected]% or [email protected]% and then are used for planting.
• In suckers, stem is cut just above the ground.
• This will result in the sucker development.
• The suckers are then separated from mother plant and then planted to prepared beds.

 
Nutrition

• Recommended dose – 25 t FYM and 125:120: 25 kg NPK/ha. 
• Basal application – half of N + entire P and K; top dressing – half of N applied 30 days after planting.

Land Preparation

• Well prepared land is required for Chrysanthemum farming.
• To bring the soil to fine tilth, 2-3 ploughings are required followed by harrowing.
• At the time of last ploughing, add FYM @8-10 tonnes/acre.

Seed

Seed rate:
Use planting density of 45,000plants/acre.

Seed treatment:
Cuttings are treated with [email protected]% or [email protected]% to protect seedlings from soil borne or damping off disease.

Sowing

Time of sowing:
Suckers are planted in the month of February-March and terminal cuttings are planted in the month of June-July.

Spacing:
Use row to row and plant to plant spacing of 30cm X 30cm.

Sowing depth:
In polythene bags depth should be 1-2 cm.

Method of sowing:
Propagation method is used.

Fertilizer

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre):

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre):

Add fertilizer dose of Urea@160kg/acre, SSP@500kg/acre and MOP@133kg/acre at the time of last ploughing. 
 

Pinching

Done 4 weeks after planting to induce lateral branches

Desukering

Remove the side suckers periodically.

Micronutrients
Foliar spray of ZnSO4 0.25% + MgSO4 0.5%.
Biofertilizers

• Soil application of 2 kg each of Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria per ha at the time ofplanting.
• It is to be mixed with 100 kg of FYM and applied.

Growth regulators

Spray GA3 @ 50 ppm on 30, 45 and 60 days after planting.

Weed Control

• 2-3 hand weedings are required to keep the field weed free and for the proper growth of plant.
• First weeding is done after 4 weeks of planting.

Irrigation

• Frequency of irrigation will depend upon growth stage, weather and soil conditions.
• Chrysanthemum requires proper drainage system in soil.
• Mainly irrigation is given twice a week in first month and then subsequent irrigations are given at weekly intervals.

Nutritional deficiency

Plant Protection

1.Chrysanthemum aphid: Macrosiphoniella sanborni

Symptoms of damage

• Nymphs and adults suck the sap from under surface of leaves and terminal shoots.
• Stunted growth of the plant
• Curling of leaf
• Withering of flowers.

Management

• Aqueous spray application of Vercillium lecanii (Vertilec) @ 15 g/lit (108 CFU/g)
• Application (ultra low volume) of the entomogenous fungus V.lecanii
• Neem formulations can be used in rotation with regular insecticides
• Spray any following insecticides malathion 50 EC @ 1 ml/l of water

2.Thrips: Microcephalothrips abdominalis

Symptoms of damage

• Infest the flower heads.
• Lacerating the sepals and petals causing abrasions
• Heavy infestation – damage to corolla, stamens
• leading to premature flower drop.
• It transmits the tomato spotted wilt virus, necrotic spot virus to many floricultural crops. 

Management

• Grow resistant varieties like
• Chandrika, Bangalore Local Yellow Double, M-7, Pankaj and Yellow Star.
• Yellow or blue sticky traps can be used for mass trapping of thrips.
• Blue traps – more effective for mass trapping than yellow traps.
• Spray dimethoate 30 EC @ 1 ml/litre or fenitrothion 50 EC @ 1.0 ml/litre malathion 50 EC @ 2 ml/litre
• Application of spinosad very effective against thrips .

3.Flower feeder: Helicoverpa armigera   

Symptoms of damage   

• Caterpillars feed on buds and flowers.

Management

• Field sanitation
• Collect and destroy damaged buds and flowers
• Set up pheromone traps with Helilure at 15/ha
• Spray nuclear polyhedrosis virus (Ha NPV) at 500 LE or 1.5*1012 POBs/ha
• Encourage the activity of parasitoids campoletis and chelonus
• Spray carbaryl 50 WP 2g/lit.

Disease

1.Wilt: Fusarium oxysporum 

Symptoms

• Initial symptoms are in the form of yellowing and browning of leaves.
• Affected leaves die from the base of the plant upward. Infected plants are stunted and often fail to produce flower.
• Wilting may cause rotting of root or the base of the stem.

Management

• Before planting dipping the rooted cuttings in a solution of Pseudomonas fluorescens @2g/litre of water.
• Since the disease spreads mostly through cuttings, it is important to use disease free planting material.
• Disease can further be minimized by following strict sanitation; periodical monitoring; crop rotation and roguing of infected plants.

2.Rust: Puccinia chrysanthemi

Symptoms

• The disease symptoms are in the form of brown blister-like swellings, which appear on the undersides of leaves.
• These burst open releasing masses of brown, powdery spores.
• Severely infected plants become very weak and fail to bloom properly.

Management

• Early removal of infected leaves/plants helps to prevent the further spread of the disease.

3.Septoria Leaf Spot: Sepotria chrysanthemella

Symptoms

• Leaf spots occur during cool-wet periods of the rainy season.
• Since the pathogens are spread through rain splashes the lowermost leaves get infected first.
• Serious infection may result in premature withering of the leaves; the dead leaves hang to the stem for some time.
• When flowering starts the infection occurs on flower buds, which rots completely.

Management

• Destruction of disease debris and avoiding excessive irrigation is recommended.

4.Powdery Mildew: Oidium chrysanthemi

Symptoms

• Infection is more severe in older plants under humid conditions.
• The growth of the fungus on the leaves appears as powdery coating
• Infected leaves turn yellow and dry out.
• Infected plants remains stunted and fail to flower.

Management

• Good ventilation and proper spacing for free circulation of air is recommended

Crop Duration

6 – 8 months for main crop and 4 months for ratoon crop.

Harvest

• Flowering mainly starts after 5-6 months of planting.
• Mainly harvesting of flowers is done in October-November month.
• Harvesting is usually done of fully opened flowers in the morning time.
• Harvested flowers are then packed in bamboo baskets for transportation and sale purpose.
• It gives an average yield of 15-50qtl flowers/acre.   

Yield

• 20 t/ha from main crop
• 10 t/ha from ratoon crop.