Enhancing the Aesthetic and Economic Value of Potted Zinnia through Pinching and Paclobutrazol Spray
Malepati S N V S Sripriya Bhargavi *
Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Telangana, India.
N. Seenivasan
Department of Horticulture, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Telangana, India.
P. Prashanth
Department of Horticulture, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Telangana, India.
S. P. Mirunalini
Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbator, India.
D. Laxminarayana
Department of Horticulture, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Telangana, India.
P Praneeth Kumar
Department of Crop Physiology, Floricultural Research Station, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Telangana, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Potted plants constitute a significant portion of the global floriculture trade, highlighting the importance of pot presentation for commercial competitiveness. Despite being a commonly grown annual crop in flower beds during its season, zinnia's potential as a potted plant has been limited by its natural growth form that looks disproportionate in a pot. This study examines the impact of pinching and paclobutrazol application on enhancing the suitability of zinnia for pot presentation. It was conducted during the rabi season at the College of Horticulture, Hyderabad.The results indicate that both pinching and paclobutrazol treatment significantly reduce plant height while improving plant spread. Among the treatments, the combination of 100 ppm paclobutrazol application and double pinching demonstrated the highest pot presentation score at 87.41, followed by the treatment involving 50 ppm paclobutrazol and double pinching with a score of 85.31. Conversely, the control treatment without pinching or spray exhibited the lowest score of 60.33 points. Furthermore, when assessing the benefit-cost ratio, double pinching with 100 ppm of paclobutrazol proved to have significant commercial advantages with a B:C ratio of 1.4.
Keywords: Potted zinnia, aesthetics, B:C ratio, paclobutrazol spray, pinching