Effect of different months of planting and pinching on flowering and yield of annual chrysanthemum (Glebionis coronaria L.) under Southern Telangana conditions

The study evaluated flowering and yield parameters and the results revealed that January planting recorded less number of days to flower bud initiation (35.18 days), full bloom (57.11 days), flower yield per plant (586.69 g) and per hectare (19.82 t). However, December planting resulted in producing larger flower diameter (5.75 cm), maximum fresh weight of flower (5.27 g) and dry weight of flower (0.55 g). Among the pinching treatments, no pinching led to the earliest flower bud initiation (30.88 days). Nevertheless, double pinching resulted in the maximum number of flowers per plant (116.37), flower yield per plant (486.51 g) and per hectare (16.43 t). The interaction effect of planting month and pinching showed that January planting with no pinching resulted early flower bud initiation (26.97 days), while January planting with double pinching produced the maximum number of flowers per plant (137.85), flower yield per plant (638.74 g) and per hectare (21.57 t). This study concludes that January planting is ideal for annual chrysanthemum cultivation in Southern Telangana conditions, delivering superior flowering and yield outcomes.