Effect of genotypes and planting geometry on vegetative growth, flower yield and quality of gladiolus (Gladiolus x hybridus Hort)

A field experiment was conducted during winter season of 2014–15 having 12 treatment combinations of two genotypes viz V₁(American Beauty) and V₂(Psittacinus Hybrid-1) and six spacing viz S₁(15 x 15 cm), S₂(20 x 20 cm), S₃(30 x 15 cm), S₄(30 x 20 cm), S₅(30 x 30 cm) and S₆(40 x 30 cm) laid out in factorial randomized block design with three replications at College of Horticulture and Forestry, Jhalawar, Rajasthan. The highest estimated spike yield perhectare(564583) and maximum estimated cormyieldperhectare(612500)was not edintreatment V₂S₁while minimum was recorded in V₁S₆. The economic feasibility in the treatment V₁S₆ was found higher with estimated gross income of Rs 3758333 per hectare from sale of spikes (458333 numbers) and corms (481250 numbers) with highest B: C ratio of 3.54 while the lowest B-C ratio was obtained in V₂S₁ (1.39). Thus the treatment combination cv American Beauty with 40 x 30 cm spacing could be suggested for better economic returns from gladiolus.