Genetic Variability Studies of Gerbera Cultivars under Polyhouse Conditions

Gerbera jamesonii L. is a perennial herb with deeply lobed leaves covered with silky hairs arising from a crown. It is one of the most popular ornamental flowers in the world, both as a cut flower and as a pot plant. Emergence of era of Hi- tech cultivation is becoming a boon to enhance the quality production. Considering the importance of this cut flower, attempts have been made to evaluate 8 varieties of gerbera (Ruby Red, Sangria, Dalma, Dune, Essance, Kozak, Alsmeera and Gold Spic) under low cost polyhouse conditions for various growth and flowering characters. The experiment was conducted at Model Floriculture Center of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. The results revealed that polyhouse conditions had significant influence on all the growth and flowering parameters of gerbera varieties. The results showed that cv. Dune recorded maximum number of leaves (26.97), plant height (30.88 cm), flower stalk length (58.18 cm), flower diameter (9.44 cm) and number of flowers/plant/year (27) whereas, flower stalk diameter (1.01 cm), duration of flowers (18 days) and vase life (10 days) were recorded in the variety Essance which was significantly at par with Dune. Among all the varieties used, Gerbera jamesonii cv. Dune showed superior results.