Effect of potting mixture and pot size on growth and flowering of calendula

Abstract

A field experiment entitled “Effect of potting mixture and pot size on growth and flowering of Calendula” was conducted at Floriculture Unit, Horticulture Section, College of Agriculture, Nagpur during rabi season of 2019-20. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Completely Randomized Design with 27 treatment combinations, replicated thrice. The treatments consisted of nine potting mixtures viz., Garden Soil, Garden Soil + Sand (2:1), Garden Soil + FYM (2:1), Garden Soil + Vermicompost (2:1), Garden Soil + Cocopeat (2:1), Garden Soil + Sand + FYM (2:1:1), Garden Soil + Sand + Vermicompost (2:1:1), Garden Soil + Sand + Cocopeat (2:1:1) and Garden Soil + FYM + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (2:1:1:1) and three pot sizes of 12.5 cm height × 12.5 cm diameter, 15 cm height × 15 cm diameter and 17.5 cm height × 17.5 cm diameter. The potting media comprising of Garden Soil + FYM + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (2:1:1:1) took minimum days for germination (4.11 days), highest germination percentage (85.56 %), maximum plant height (29.72 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (67.96), leaf area (60.42 cm2), branches plant-1 (17.53), plant spread (33.53 cm), minimum days to first flower bud initiation (34.85 days) and days to opening of flower from bud emergence (7.62 days). Whereas, minimum days to 50 % flowering (54.69 days) was obtained in Garden Soil + FYM. As regards the effects of pot sizes, 17.5 cm height × 17.5 cm diameter pots exhibited, maximum plant height (23.03 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (44.13), leaf area (60.03 cm2), branches plant-1 (13.67), plant spread (31.67), whereas, minimum days to first flower bud initiation (47.68 days), minimum days to opening of flower from bud emergence (9.56 days) and days to 50 % flowering (68.52 days) was observed with 12.5 cm height × 12.5 cm diameter pot size.