Response studies in chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzevlev) plugs as self rooted cuttings grown in gel-amended media under greenhouse nursery

An experiment was conducted to study the rooting in chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflor Tzevlev) terminal stem cuttings in a media comprising of coco peat, vermiculite and perlite mixsed in 6:1:1 ratio and amended a super absorbent gel (0,0.5,1.0,1.5 or 2.0 % on weight by weight basis) to raise plugs. Terminal cuttings with three nodes, taken from chrysanthemum cultiver, Yellow Bouquet, planted in plastic pro-trays under an artificial supplemental light of 460-μmol second -1 m-2 for seven day. It was recorded that the media amended with 0.5 % hydrogel took lowest duration (18.6 day) to produce healthy cuttings followed by 1.0 % gel (20.40 day) as compared to the control (24.00 day) to produce the piantable height (i.e. 15.00 cm). Growth of self- rooted cuttings was recorded at maximum height (19.5 cm), number of leaves (14.20), stem diameter (0.22 cm), root area (38.16 cm2), fresh root weight (5.6 g/plant) and fresh shoot weight (11.46 g/cutting) in treatment amended with 0. 5 % hydrogel. However, the number of leaves and stem diameter could not differed significantly even after three week of their growth in nursery. The fresh root and shoot weight also differed significantly among themselves and could produce the highest fresh weight (5.68 g/cutting) in media amended with 0.5 % hydrogel followed by 1.0 % (4.12 g) and 1.5 % (3.66 g) as against the lowest (2.92 g/cutting) fresh root weight under control. However, the highest average fresh shoot weight (11.46 g/cutting) was noted in the cuttings raised in media amended with 0.5 % hydrogel with in three week duration with 60 % reduction in the frequency of fertigation.