Effect of Different Planting Dates on Tuber Production in Dahlia (Dahlia variabilis L.) in Low Hill Conditions of Himachal Pradesh, India
Manish Kumar
*
Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan. HP, India.
Priyanka Thakur
Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, RHRTS Dhaulakuan, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan. HP, India.
Bharati Kashyap
Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan. HP, India.
Pradeep Kumar
Department of Soil Science, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan. HP, India.
Anju Sharma
Department of Basic Science, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan. HP, India.
Ragini Bhardwaj
Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan. HP, India.
Nitesh Kaushal
Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan. HP, India.
Ali Haidar Shah
Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan. HP, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The research, entitled " Effect of different planting dates on tuber production in dahlia (Dahlia variabilis L.) in low hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh" was carried out at RHRTS Dhaulakuan, Ponta Sahib (HP). The study aimed to investigate the impact of different planting dates on tuber production in five dahlia cultivars (Anarkali, Gargi, Giani Zail Singh, Matungini and Suryadev) in low hill. Three planting dates (September 15th, October 15th and November 15th) were chosen for evaluating vegetative parameters. Plant height (109.61 cm) and internodal length (10.34 cm) both were found to be optimal in the cultivar Suryadev. Furthermore, the cultivar Matungini exhibited the highest plant spread (42.72 cm). In terms of tuber production, Anarkali demonstrated superior performance in tuber weight (368.90 g), and tuber yield per plot (2.00 kg). Conversely, Matungini excelled in the number of tubers per plant (4.69), tuber length (13.24 cm) and tuber diameter (30.25 mm), while Giani Zail Singh showcased the best tuber diameter. The planting date of October 15th was identified as highly suitable for optimal tuber production across all parameters under low hill climatic conditions.
Keywords: Cultivars, dahlia, planting date, tuber production, tuber weight