Gerbera Nutrition

Difference in performance of cut flower like Gerbera,was primarily accounted to variation in soil moisture regime. Gerbera plants planted in June produced the best response in terms of vegetative growth , floral characteristics and flower yield. The most favourable response of June planting was observed due to collective effect of better soil moisture conditions, lesser diurnal variation in temperature ,and better inflow of nutrients. These observations aided in establishing soil-climate analogues for open field Gerbera. Integrated nutrient management based treatments produced differential response on vegetative growth , flowering characteristics, flower yield, soil fertility status, soil microbial properties and nutrient accumulation in leaves. Invariably, out of three organic manures viz., Pig manure, farmyard manure and Cocopith when applied along with 50% chemical fertilizers, produced a much better response than when applied alone. DRIS ( Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System ) based leaf nutrient norms helped in tailoring the fertilizer requirement of open field Gerbera, without incurring any nutrient deficit during the entire growth period.