CHRYSANTHEMUM
Guldaudi
Botanical Name: Dendranthema grandiflora
Family: Asteraceae
Origin: Northern hemisphere in China
National flower of Japan
Area in HP during
2012--13: 315 ha 2011
2012 2011--12: 209 ha
Uses of chrysanthemum
Cut flowers
Loose flowers
Pot mum
Hanging baskets
Bedding
Border plant
Classification of chrysanthemum
Inflorescence
Temperature
Photoperiod
Classification based on inflorescence
Single
Anemone
Korean
Double
Decorative
Pompon
Incurved
Incurving
Reflexed
Quill
Fuji
Spider
Classification based on Temperature
Thermo-positive: low temperature between 10-27oC
inhibit or delay bud initiation which occur more
consistently at 16oC. High temperature over 27oC
accelerates bud initiation but delay flowering.
Thermo-negative: Bud initiation occurs at low to high
temperature (10-27oC) but high temperature delays
development of buds.
Thermo-zero: Flowering occurs at any temperature
between 10-27oC, more consistently ay 17oC night
temperature.
Classification based on Photoperiod
Based on short days requirement cultivars are
classified as 6 weeks to 16 weeks
Important cultivars
Standard: Snow ball, Snow Don White, Mountaineer,
Sonar Bangla, Bright golden, Anne, Lehmans, Sonali
Tara, Poornima, Tata Century, Thai Ching Queen,
etc.
Spray: Ajay, Birbal Sahni, Chandrama, Flirt, White
Bouquets, Nanako, Surf, etc.
Off-season cultivars
April-June: Himanshu, Jawala, Jyoti
July-Aug.: Phuhar
Sep.-Oct.: Ajay, Sharda
Oct.-Nov.: Makhmal, Megami, Mohini, Sharad har
Nov.-Dec.: Normal season cultivars
Jan.-Feb.: Jaya, Lilith, Suneel, Vasantica.
Feb.-Mar.: Maghi.
Factors affecting growth and flowering
Genotype
Soil: Sandy-loam, pH: 6.2-6.7
Light (Intensity: 1.2-1.6 MJ/m2/day, Quality: 600-800nm,
Photoperiod: less than 9.5 hours)
Temperature (night: 10-16oC, day: 18-21oC)
CO2: 500-1000ppm
Nutrients
Pinching (Twice after 4 and 8 weeks of transplanting)
De-shooting (retain 4-5 shoots in standard and 8-12 shoots in
spray cultivars)
Disbudding (remove lateral buds in standard and terminal bud in
spray cultivars)
Propagation
Terminal stem cuttings (4-5 cm) during June-July
Suckers during February to April
Micro-propagation
Seeds (Problems of self-incompatibility and
heterogeneity)
Optimum planting density and spacing
Greenhouse cut flowers: 40-54 plants/m2
Loose flowers: 30 x 20 cm or 20-25 plants/m2
Standards: 20 x 20 cm
Sprays: 30 x 30 cm
Pot mums: 3-5 cuttings/pot (15 cm)
Optimum level of nutrients
N (4.5-6%), P (0.26-1.2%), K (3.5-10%), Ca (0.5-
4.6%), Mg (0.14-1.5%), S (0.30-0.75%), Mn (195-
260ppm), B (25-200ppm), Cu (10ppm) and Zn
(7.3ppm).
Optimum dose of nutrients
FYM: 3-5 kg/ m2
N:P:K::30:10:15 (50-60g/m2 )
Loose flowers: FYM: 10-15 ton, N: 150kg, P: 100kg,
K:120 kg/ ha)
Spray of light solution of cake + SSP at bud
developing stage is very beneficial.
Apply nitrogen through CAN source as urea causes
phyto-toxicity.
Important Diseases
Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. chrysanthemi)
Stem and foot rot (Rhizoctonia solani)
Root rot (Pythium, Phytophthora spp.)
Bacterial rot (Erwinia chrysanthemi)
Powdery mildew (Oidium chrysamthemi)
Leaf spot and flower blight (Alternaria, Septoria spp.)
Gray mould (Botrytis cinerea)
Viral diseases ( chrysanthemum stunt, tomato spotted wilt,
tomato aspermy, flower distortion, chrysanthemum mosaic and
chrysanthemum rosette)
Important Insect-pests
Aphids
Red spider mites
Hairy caterpillars
Thrips
Grubs
Leaf miners
Nematodes
Aphids most serious pest
Important Disorders
Premature budding
Quilling of florets
Crown bud formation
Heat delay
Petal burn
Stages of Harvesting
Standards: When outer row of florets start unfurling
for distant market and for local market half opened
flowers.
Sprays: Harvested for local market when two flowers
have opened and others have shown colour, while for
distant market when 50% flowers have shown colour.
Loose flowers: Fully open flowers
Pot mums: 50% buds have developed colour.
Grades of Chrysanthemum Flowers
Commodity Grade Grade Grade Grade
Blue Red Green Yellow
Stem length 75 75 60 60
(cm)
Flower 15 12.5 10 ----
diameter (cm)
Stem strength Strong Strong Strong Strong
Packaging of Cut flowers
In bunches of 10, 20 or 25.
In corrugated card board boxes of 91 x 43 x 15
cm (L x W x H) accommodates about 80-100 cut
flowers of chrysanthemum.
Wrap flower bunches in cellophane sleeves.
Optimum yield of chrysanthemum
Standard: 2.5 to 4.5 lakh/ ha
Spray: 1.5-1.75 lakh/ ha
Loose flowers: 8-15 ton/ha
Greenhouse yield 150-250 flower stems/m2/year.
