Impact of spacing, planting methods and mulching on gladiolus

Abstract

The current study, "Effect of spacing, planting methods, and mulching on gladiolus," was conducted from November 2021 to May 2022 at the Floriculture Research Farm, ASPEE College of Horticulture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India. Four replications of the experiment were set up using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with seven treatments of spacing, planting methods and mulching viz., T1 = 20 cm × 20 cm spacing + Raised bed (3 rows) + No mulch, T2 = 20 cm × 20 cm spacing + Raised bed (3 rows) + Paddy straw mulch @ 5 t/ha, T3 = 30 cm × 15 cm spacing + Raised bed (2 rows) + No mulch, T4 = 30 cm × 15 cm spacing + Raised bed (2 rows) + Paddy straw mulch @ 5 t/ha, T5 = 30 cm × 20 cm spacing + Raised bed (2 rows) + No mulch, T6 = 30 cm × 20 cm spacing + Raised bed (2 rows) + Paddy straw mulch @ 5 t/ha and T7 = 30 cm × 30 cm spacing + Ridge and Furrow + No mulch (control). In comparison to other treatments that recorded the minimum days to corm sprouting, maximum plant height, number of tillers and leaves per plant, early spike initiation, maximum spike length, rachis length, number of florets per spike, fresh weight of spike and vase life, T4 (30 cm × 15 cm spacing + Raised bed with 2 rows + Paddy straw mulch @ 5 t/ha) significantly influenced the vegetative, flowering and yield parameters. Additionally, it produced the maximum number of spikes, corms, and cormels as well as the weight of corms per plant, corm diameter and cormels per plot and hectare. On the other hand, T6 had the highest number of spikes, corms, cormels and cormel weight per plant. So, it can be concluded that planting at 30 cm × 15 cm spacing on raised bed with 2 rows and mulched with paddy straw @ 5 t/ha found better for production of gladiolus cv. ‘Psittacinus Hybrid’.