Usman Nawaz1, Iftikhar Ahmad1*, Tazkia Hussain1*, Samida Qamar1, Hassan Bin Munir2, Shehryar1, Hina Safdar3, Aqsa Nawaz4 and Tarum Munir5
1Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan; 2GreenAI- PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan; 3Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan; 3Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan; 4Department of Plant Pathology, University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan; 5Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan
*Corresponding author: tazkiahussain3239@gmail.com, iftikharahmadhashmi@gmail.com
Gladiolus (Gladiolus L. hybrids), a member of the family of Iridaceae, is also known as the "queen of bulbous flowers" in floral markets worldwide. It has high demand and potential due to its exceptional color, size, and reasonably long vase life. There is a dire need to standardize its early, mid-season, and late-season cultivars to achieve sustainable production throughout the season with high-quality stems. Therefore, a study was conducted to optimize planting time for different exotic cultivars through staggered planting at Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Results demonstrated that the longest vase life was recorded in ‘Manhattan’ (10.9 d), ‘Mix’ (10.8 d), ‘Comedy’ (10.6 d), and ‘Amsterdam’ (10.5 d), followed by ‘Almerim’ (9.8 d), ‘Adrenalin’ (9.4 d), and ‘Advance red’ (9.0 d). Whereas, the shortest vase life was recorded in ‘Merry’ (7.5 d). The shortest production time was recorded in ‘Merry’ (96.6 d), followed by ‘Advance Red’ (97.3 d), ‘Adrenalin’ (98.3 d), and ‘Almerim’ (100.6 d). Longest days to flower were recorded in ‘Rosie Bee’ (115.1 d). The least time to 50% sprouting was recorded in ‘Merry (9.0 d), followed by ‘Almerim’ (11.3 d), ‘Rosie Bee’ (14.1 d), and ‘Mix’ (14.0 d). The greatest plant height was recorded in ‘Kir Royal’ (82.9 cm), ‘Advance Red’ (82.3 cm), ‘Almerim’ (81.7 cm), followed by ‘Nova Zambla’ (80.1 cm). The shortest plant height was recorded in ‘Merry’ (35.5 cm). The highest sprouting percentage was recorded in ‘Merry’ (90.8%), ‘Bangladesh’ (90.2%), ‘Adrenalin (89.2%), and ‘Manhattan’ (89.1%), whereas the least sprouting percentage was recorded in ‘Chanson’ (66.2%), ‘Magma’ (67.9%) and ‘Cassis’ (69.1%). The greatest number of cormels were produced in ‘Adrenalin’ (10.1), ‘Comedy’ (9.2), ‘Manhattan’ (8.8), ‘Almerim’ (8.5), ‘Mix’ (8.4) and ‘Amsterdam’ (7.1). Cormel diameter was recorded highest in ‘Adrenalin’ (47.8 mm), ‘Bangladesh’ (41.2 mm), ‘Chanson’ (40.0 mm), and ‘Cayyene’ (39.6 mm). In summary, early planting of all tested cultivars in September and October performed best regarding growth attributes and vase life of cut stems; however, late planting in November and December failed to produce marketable cut stems for over 2/3rd of the crop and exhibited weak response in all growth attributes. Among all tested gladiolus cultivars, ‘Kir Royal’, ‘Manhattan’, ‘Almerim’, ‘Adrenalin’, and ‘Advance Red’ exhibited good quality stems with longer vase life. ‘Merry’ and ‘Mix’ were early cultivars, while ‘Rosie Bee’, ‘Lemon Drop’, and ‘Nova Zambla’ were late cultivars. Therefore, the gladiolus corms may be planted in early September till the end of October to get the best quality stems with longer vase life for commercial production and marketing in subtropics.