Varietal evaluation of gladiolus (Gladiolus hybridus Hort.) under Chhattisgarh plains

The present investigation was conducted during Rabi season of 2015–16 to evaluate the performance of fourteen gladiolus cultivars under agroclimatic conditions of Chhattisgarh plains. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. Among the fourteen cultivars evaluated, cv. Punjab Dawn (8.66 days) was the earliest to sprout and the maximum number of shoots per mother corm (2.60) was recorded in cv. White Prosperity. The maximum plant height was recorded in cv. GS-2 (99.93 cm), number of leaves per plant in cv. Candyman (7.93) and length of leaf in cv. Novalux (48.56 cm). In flowering characters, earliest spike emergence (55.66 days), days to first floret open (64 days) and first floret opening (64 days) was recorded in cv. Punjab Dawn. Maximum spike length was recorded in cv. GS-2 (81.19 cm), longest rachis length was recorded in cv. Novalux (65.63 cm) maximum number of florets per spike was in cv. White Prosperity (15.13) and maximum diameter of floret was recorded in Novalux (10.12 cm). Maximum number of corms per plant was recorded in cv. White Prosperity (2.66). The maximum diameter of corm (6.68 cm) and maximum weight of corm (95.40 g) was recorded in cv. Candyman. Highest number of cormels per plant was recorded in cv. Advantage (111.73) and maximum weight of cormels per plant was recorded in Gunjan (45.33 g).