Effect of Rooting Media on Flowering and Yield of Bidhan Marigold Varieties under Shade Net House Condition

An experiment was carried out in factorial concept with two factors i.e., varieties at two levels and rooting media at eight levels thus making 16 combinations which were replicated twice. The effect of varieties, rooting media and their interactions were found to be significant with regard to days taken for first flower bud initiation, days taken for full flower opening, in situ longevity, days taken for 50% flowering, days taken for 100% flowering, duration of flowering, flower diameter, weight of 10 flowers, shelf life of flowers, number of flowers/plant and flower yield/plant under shade net house condition. The variety Bidhan Marigold 1 recorded the earliest flower bud initiation (41.25 days), earliest days for full flower opening (7.50 days), lowest number days for 50 per cent flowering (48.90 days), earliest days for 100 per cent flowering (73.0 days), maximum duration of flowering (29.37 days), greatest flower diameter (3.21 cm), highest average weight of 10 - flowers (7.18 g), highest shelf life of flowers (9.5 days), maximum number of flowers per plant (88.83) and highest flower yield per plant (437.75).Whereas, the variety Bidhan Marigold 2 recorded the maximum days for in situ longevity (19.16 days) under shade net house condition.