Evaluation of Different Hybrids of Petunia (Petunia hybrida) for Growth, Quality and Yield Attributes Under Northern Dry Zone of Karnataka

Petunia hybrida is widely recognized as a valuable and aesthetically pleasing annual flowering plant, holds significant commercial value due to its extended flowering period, making it a popular addition to gardens. The study aimed to evaluate eight different Petunia hybrids in terms of vegetative growth, flower quality and yield. The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Block Design with three replications at the Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture, UHS Bagalkot, Karnataka, during the 2024-25. The Petunia hybrids evaluated were White, Burgande, Stars Mixed, Red Star, Rose Star, Crimson Star, Bravo Mix, and Frost Blue. Significant differences were observed for all the parameters. The data revealed that hybrid Rose Star expressed highest plant spread in both direction E-W (65.54cm) and N-S (68.55cm), number of flowers (64.55), number of flower buds (67.58), leaf area (12.03cm²) and chlorophyll content (26.96) followed by Burgande. Maximum plant height was recorded in Frost Blue (26.74cm) followed by Burgande and minimum in Red Star (21.58cm). More number of leaves observed in the Crimson Star (1097.93) and less in White (681.95). Longest peduncle length exhibited by the Frost Blue (3.84cm). Hybrid Burgande (16.10) recorded highest number of branches followed by Rose Star and lowest in Crimson Star (10.72). The largest flower diameter (8.59cm) and flower weight (3.02g) belongs to Crimson Star followed by Stars Mixed. Higher flower yield per plant was recorded in Crimson Star (140.50g) and lower in Red Star (82.63g). The hybrid Bravo Mix expressed lowest plant spread in both direction E-W (54.85cm)and N-S (60.57cm), flower diameter (5.79cm), leaf area (6.07cm²) and chlorophyll content (11.09). Minimum number of flowers (49.46), number of flower buds (51.74), peduncle length (2.60cm) showed in Stars Mixed. Thus, out of 8 hybrids screened, Petunia Rose Star found promising for this zone followed by Burgande.