Introduction
Scientific name: Callistephus
chinensis L. Ness
Family: Asteraceae
It
is native to Northern China and has spread to Europe and other tropical
countries during 1731 A.D. The present day asters have
been developed from a single form of wild species, Callistephus chinensis.
The name of the genus ‘Callistephus’ is derived from two Greek words
‘kalistos’ meaning ‘Most beautiful’ and ‘stephos’, a crown, referring to the
flower head. It is one of the
most important annual flower crops grown in most parts of the world. Among
annuals, it is ranked third for popularity, after chrysanthemum and marigold.
Characteristics
It is also called Annual Aster. It is a
half hardy annual, plants are erect with branching habit. Plants are erect bearing alternate, broadly
ovate or triangular-ovate, irregularly toothed leaves. Flowers are solitary.
Blooms contain two kinds of florets: ray florets and disc florets. The discs
are short and ray florets are long. Semi-double or double. It has a wide array
of varieties and the height ranges from 6 inches to 3 feet. They have
daisy-like or star-like flower heads (4-6" in diameter) with a yellow
center often tall stems. Their colors
vary from white to creamy yellow, pink, blue, red and purple.
Soil
Open sunny locations with well drained red
loamy soils with pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Water logged soils are not recommended
Propagation
China aster is propagated through seeds. A
seed rate of 250 – 300 g/acre is sufficient. The seeds will not have dormancy
and germinate in a week at about 21oC. The seeds loose
viability at a faster rate if stored in ordinary containers for a longer time,
therefore it is advisable to use only fresh seeds. Normally the seeds germinate
at a temperature range of 10-35 0C. The optimum temperature being 21oC
+ 4 oC.
Cultivars and Varieties
Some
of the public sector varieties released by IIHR, Bengaluru - Arka Aadya, Arka Shashank, Arka Archana, Arka Poornima, Arka Kamini
and Violet cushion and varieties released by MPKV, Rahuri - Phule Ganesh White,
Phule Ganesh Pink, Phule Ganesh Violet and Phule Ganesh Purple.
Nursery Operations
The seedlings are raised on nursery beds of
size of 1.0 m width and convenient length. The beds were first drenched with
captan (0.2%) and seeds were sown thinly and uniformly in lines and covered
with a mixture of well rotten FYM and top soil. Seeds are to be treated with Captan (2 g / kg seeds) for five minutes
and then sown in lines. The nursery beds are to be
watered twice in a day for the first 10 days and thereafter once daily for the
remaining period. The seedlings were ready for transplanting at 45 days after
sowing.
Land Preparation and Transplanting
The field should be ploughed thoroughly and
brought to a fine tilth. About 10-15 tonnes of well-decomposed farmyard manure
may be incorporated in the soil at the time of soil preparation. In areas
receiving high rainfall the seedlings should be planted on ridges to avoid
chances of Fusarium wilt. A general spacing of 30 x 30 cm may be optimum for
recommendation.
Fertilizer Application
Application of manure and fertilizers in
required quantities is important for proper growth, yield and quality of
flowers. The deficiency of nitrogen causes dwarfing of the plants resulting in
small sized plants and flowers. Phosphorus deficiency causes delayed flowering.
The recommended fertilizer dose is 72:48:24 kg NPK/ha. Of which 36 kg nitrogen,
full dose of P & K has to be applied at the time of preparation of land.
Remaining 36 kg/acre nitrogen has to be applied as top dressing at 40 days
after transplanting.
Irrigation
Irrigation requirement depends upon the
weather, type of soil and season of the crop grown. Since China aster is a
shallow rooted crop, it needs continuous soil moisture throughout the entire
period of crop growth. It requires irrigation at intervals of 7 to 10 days.
Pinching
Pinching of main shoot at one month after transplanting promotes growth and
development. Pinching delays flowering by 8-12 days.
Harvesting and Post Harvest Handling
Flowers are ready for the harvest in 70-80
days after transplanting. Flowers can be harvested in two ways. Loose flowers
are used for decoration and religious offerings. Flowers with longer stalks and
larger booms are harvested with stalks for use as cut flowers for fetching
higher prices in the market. Cut flowers are to be placed in cool and clean
water for maintaining turgidity with cut ends in water. Grading has to be done
based on the length of the stalk. Loose flowers are to be packed in gunny or
plastic bags and transported to the market.
Yield
On an average fresh yield of about 8-9 tonnes per acre during rainy season,
6-7 t per acre in winter and 4-5 t per acre in summer can be obtained.
|
