Response of Various Pinching Levels on Growth and Flowering of Annual Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium L.) cv. Local in Bhubaneswar, Odisha Condition

The Present study highlights the response of various pinching levels on growth and flowering of Annual Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium) cv. Local in Bhubaneswar, Odisha condition. Among different crop management practices to increase production and quality of various annual flowers including annual chrysanthemum, cultural manipulation of growth and flowering through proper pinching mechanism assumes greater significance. The experiment was conducted following Factorial Randomized Block Design consisting of two factors viz., spacing and pinching as treatments. In this study three levels of pinching viz., P0 (No pinching), P1 (Single pinching i.e. 30 days after transplanting) & P2 (Double pinching i.e. 30 and 45 days after transplanting) as treatments under each main plot treatment were included which were replicated thrice. Among three different levels of pinching tried, parameters like weight of individual flower was observed to be maximum under no pinching (P0) treatment. However, plants took minimum time for 50 % flowering under this pinching treatment. Besides, plants receiving no pinching treatment exhibited poor performances with respect to several growth and flowering parameters. Numbers of primary branches per plant, weight of flowers per plant, weight of flowers per plot as well as per hectare were found to be lowest under this treatment (P0). On the other hand several growth and flowering parameters were improved under this pinching treatment. Parameters like plant spread, number of primary branches, weight of flowers per plant, weight of flowers per plot as well as per hectare were observed to be maximum under this double pinching treatment. Besides, flowering parameters like 50 % flowering were maximum delayed under this pinching treatment. Since the ultimate aim of any crop production programme is to maximize the yield through an ideal crop management practices, in the present investigation it was found that adoption double pinching, once after 30 days and again after 45 days of planting was most suitable practice for maximizing flower yield in annual chrysanthemum cv. Local which may be recommended to the flower growers for its commercial cultivation in and around Bhubaneswar.