Performance of Exotic Tulip Cultivars under Agro- Climatic Conditions of Peshawar

The performance of ten exotic tulip cultivars under agro-climatic conditions of Peshawar was studied at Ornamental Nursery, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan during the year 2013-14. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block (RCB) Design with three replications. Ten cultivars of tulips viz., Bastogne, Don Quichotte, China Town, White Dream, Red Riding Hood, Mascotte, Orange Angelique, Strong Gold, Rajka and Romantic Sunset were tested for their performance. Significant differences (P≤0.05) were observed among the cultivars regarding various parameters. The cultivar “Don Quichotte” produced the maximum number of leaves per plant (8.1), bulbs per plant (6.3), as well as early flowering (144.3 days) that was statistically at par with cultivar “Strong Gold” for flowering (144.8 days), leaves per plant (7.3) and number of bulbs plant-1 (5.3). The maximum flower diameter (8.3 cm), bulb diameter (3.6 cm) and bulb weight (16.3 g) was noted in cultivar “Orange Angelique”. In the case of plant height, the tallest (32.5 cm) plants were observed in cultivar “White Dream”. The instant results suggest that Cultivar “Don Quichotte” is recommended for quality flowers and bulbs production under the agro-climatic conditions of Peshawar.