Gerbera: Soil fertility and plant nutrition

Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus ex. Hook) belonging to family Asteraceae is an important cut flower, native to tropical Asia and Africa. Thumping success of Gerbera under protected conditions has extensively discouraged growers to raise this crop under open field conditions, with the result, most of the studies have accrued out under protected conditions. The cut flowers like Gerbera is intensively cultivated, and substantial amounts of nutrients are anticipated to be removed with every harvest, The definitive role of soil-climate specific agro-techniques is being increasingly explored to sustain the flower production coupled with quality as an important flower trade attribute. Improvisation in of flower yield alongwith quality makes this maiden but important task, all the more challenging, especially in the context of vagaries associated with open field conditions. Maintaining water-nutrient synergy through an integrated nutrient supply system across crop phenophases is considered as the most important aspect of Gerbera cultivation, and if addressed to their potential, is supposed to bring some discernible changes in the overall scenario of Gerbera cultivation under open field conditions. In this context, DRIS-based nutrient diagnostics have provided some definitive breakthroughs. Unfortunately, soil as a finite source of nutrients has seldom been attempted to engineer through exogenous application of both organic manures (also carries beneficial microbes, and can function as effective bioinoculants) and inorganic fertilizers in such a way that it sustains the crop nutrient demand so effectively, keeping any potential possibility of nutrient mining at no risk. This is where, the concept like integrated nutrient management finds its utmost intervention. The benefits of such technique can only harvest when all other growing conditions are maintained within optimum requirements

کلیدواژه ها:

Gerbera ، Integrated nutrient management ، Open field ، Organic manures ، ، Bioinoculants ، ، Inorganic fertilizers