INFLUENCE OF LIGHT INTENSITY ON DIFFERENT CULTIVARS OF POTTED GERBERA

Abstract

The experiment was conducted during the period from July 2009 to February 2010 at Horticulture Farm, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh to find out the influence of light intensity on different cultivars of potted gerbera. The experiment consisted of two factors: Factor A: Light intensity: L 0 ; Full sunlight; L 1 ; 40% reduced sunlight; L ; 60% reduced sunlight and Factor B: Cultivars: 5 different colored cultivars namely, C 2 1 ; White colored flower; C ; Pink colored flower; C and C 5 3 ; Light pink colored flower; C 4 ; Yellow colored flower ; Orange colored flower. The two factors experiment was laid out in Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Significant variation was recorded for different growth and flower character due to different light intensity, cultivars and their interaction effect. The maximum number of flowers per plant (15.64) was found from L 1 and lowest (11.90) from L . Maximum flowers (15.20) per plant was produced by C and the lowest (12.48) from C 1 . For combined effect L 1 C 5 5 produced the highest number of flowers (18.98) and L 2 C produced the lowest. So, it may be concluded that orange colored flower under 40% reduced sunlight gave the best results.