FLORICULTURE TODAY- September 2012 by Media Today Pvt. Ltd.

Floriculture Today September 2012

www.floriculturetoday.in

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S. Jafar Naqvi

Consulting Editors T.V. Satyanarayanan K Dharmarajan

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Chief Coordinator M.B. Naqvi Editorial Coordinator Syed M K

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Printed, published and owned by M.B. Naqvi, Printed at Everest Press, E-49/8, Okhla Industrial Area Ph-II, New Delhi - 110 020 and Published from E-11/47 A, New Colony, Hauz Rani, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi-110017 (INDIA) Editor : S. Jafar Naqvi Vol 17....... Issue 4...... September 2012

Floriculture Today September 2012

8 Editorial 10 Cover Story Tackling logistical challenges for cut flowers 14 Event Report IIFT Workshop Action Plan for boosting India’s Floriculture Exports 18 v

Research Jasmine Association of phytonematodes and their pathogenicity – N. Seenivasan

v Standardization of floral dehydration technique for annual chrysanthemum A novel and unique method of value addition – A.K.Dwivedi, Shubhra Misra, Kulshreshtha,

Kamla and B.K.Banerji

22 Landscaping Diversity of wild plant species in Western Ghats for landscaping

– T.Arumugam

v Tree Transplanting techniques for Urban Landscaping – Dr. M. Kannan, Dr. M. Jawaharlal & P. Ranchana 38 GM Technology Plant Genetic Markers & their Application – Atul Batra 40 Tribute ‘Floriculture Today’ pays tribute to Pulla Nageswara Rao 42 Flower Festival Medellin Flower Festival 2012 Colombia´s most fragrant and colourful celebration of life 46 v v v v

News Bringing flower power to O’Hare Flowers back in Brussels’ City Square Send Flowers gets 5-Star Rating Flower growers to face action for price-fixing

Floriculture Today September 2012

n a unique gesture on Raksha Bandan day, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tied the Rakhis on the trees in the sprawling Rajdhani Vatika (gardens) in Patna. Pledging to spread greenery and tree cover in the state, he asserted: We will not only plant trees but also ensure their protection. The Chief Minister’s rare demonstration of love for trees and plants and the assurance to look after their welfare is significant, since it is a common experience to see the zeal and enthusiasm for tree plantation waning as soon as the planting ceremony is over. Often, the survival rate of these saplings, planted along roadsides, wastelands, and even degraded forest areas, is woefully low. In a state like Bihar, where floods are an annual feature, plantation and protection of trees in the catchment areas, particularly in the upper reaches, can help mitigate the fury of swollen rivers. Happily, in most states, there is an increasing consciousness to step up the programme of tree planting so as to protect the environment, adversely impacted by rising carbon emissions. Simultaneously, on the flip side, there is widespread deforestation, which goes on unchecked. In cities, many developmental projects also take a heavy toll of trees and green cover. Among the states which have recently taken initiatives to give a fillip to tree plantation is West Bengal, where the Enviornment Minister has

announced an ambitious project to plant one million trees to cover the length and breadth of the state. In this effort the state government is seeking the cooperation of industry, NGOs and various institutions. Kolkata is sought to be given a greener look, by focusing on planting a number of fruit trees to attract more birds, needed to preserve ecosystems. At a time when the list of birds in the ‘vanishing ‘ category – ‘Red List’ maintained by International Union for Conservation of Nature -- is getting longer, the attempts to improve their habitats for their preservation is indeed welcome. In the national capital city of Delhi, nature lovers are worried that birds like kingfisher, robin and even sparrows, which used to frequent homes and kitchen gardens, have become a rare sight. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit deserves to be complimented for her move of declaring sparrow as the State Bird. A new campaign has been launched to work towards increasing the bird population. Andhra Pradesh’s capital city of Hyderabad has a number programmes in place in association with Nature Forever Society and other organizations. An interesting project, ‘Tree Bank’, as it is called, is being started there to save the environment and promote biodiversity. Being floated by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the ‘bank’ would ‘store’ the trees marked to be brought under the axe for widening roads or executing similar works. These trees would be put up for sale to individuals and corporates to enable them to have -- hey presto! -- a full grown tree standing in their premises in no time. GHMC is also promoting for residential welfare associations another activity – ‘Adopt & Fund Your Park’. Already the upkeep of 500 municipal parks is in the hands of such associations, with the corporation contributing the initial capital. Most of these parks, where young and old come for morning and evening walks, are well maintained. Tree re-planting schemes are gaining momentum in other places as well, like, for instance in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore city, which till recently was losing tree cover at a fast pace. Thanks to the enthusiasm of an NGO named Change India, thousands of trees, which would have been cut to widen roads, would now be shifted to safety to give a green look to the city’s arterial roads. Raksha Bandans for trees, Chipko movement, and similar campaigns can surely engender interest and enthusiasm, which however need to be sustained with proper follow-up.

Comments are welcome at: MediaTodayMails@gmail.com

Views expressed by individuals and contributors in the magazine are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Floriculture Today editorial board. Floriculture Today does not accept any responsibility of any direct, indirect or consequential damage caused to any party due to views expressed by any one or more persons in the trade. All disputes are to be referred to Delhi Jurisdiction only. .....Editor

10 10 Floriculture Today September

2012

Floriculture Today September 2012

Cover Story

In the July and August issues of Floriculture Today, we carried parts of a report on global floriculture industry prepared by Centre for Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (Dutch acronym CBI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. The following is the third in the series.

Tackling logistical challenges for cut flowers

he EU market no longer accepts low quality flowers, and so, exporters face a difficult challenge of producing and maintaining quality until the flowers are delivered to the customer. In their report released by CBI, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, exporters have been advised on the implications of the recent orders. Logistics form a bottleneck in the development of modern flower trade. Initially, flower exporters in developing countries focused completely on growing good quality flowers, while overlooking the importance of post-harvest processes. The Dutch auctions offered a convenient sales channel for high-quality as well as low-quality flowers. Currently, many exporters are able to supply more demanding customers and are shifting their focus to sales and after-sales activities. CBIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Distribution strategy for cut flowersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; explains that especially ambitious

Floriculture Today September 2012

companies, which have strong sales and aftersales capabilities, can take advantage of the opportunities offered by direct trade with large wholesalers and retailers. However, direct trade also poses major challenges, particularly in terms of logistics. The most important implication of direct trade for exporters is the full responsibility for a consistently high quality. There are no intermediaries to grade and sort the flowers again nor are there possibilities to sell the flowers to other customers with less stringent demands.

Optimising the organisation of flower exports Harvesting Cutting flowers at the right opening stage is simple when the flowers are destined for the auction. A few boxes more or less do not matter, because the flowers have not yet been sold. However, when flowers are sold directly to customers who have very specific requirements, growers must have a sophisticated administration system functioning to manage contract growing and harvesting according to daily orders.

Figure 1: Sign on a flower farm to remind employees of essential rules

Source: FlowerWatch

Cover Story Grading, sorting and bunching Grading and sorting must guarantee a high level of uniformity in the batch for a specific customer. Grading and sorting is particularly important in direct trade, as the flowers cannot be graded and sorted after arriving in the EU. Moreover, customers in direct trade generally have stricter requirements regarding uniformity. Their customers must be able to rely on their reputation for products of a consistent quality. Bunching offers particularly interesting opportunities in direct trade. Currently, the intercontinental trade in mixed bunches (i.e. bouquets) is still underdeveloped. The unavailability of a large assortment of flowers and foliage and other materials (e.g. sleeves), and poor cold chain management are major obstacles. Unlike mono-bunches, mixed bunches cannot be graded and sorted easily in the EU. Therefore, a complete bunch has to be thrown away if a single flower does not meet quality requirements. However, sound production and cold chains can prevent poor flower quality and enable the export of mixed bunches. Pre-treatment and packaging If the entire production chain and cold chain are optimised, except for pre-treatment, the final product quality can still be insufficient. The chain is as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, exporters must also pay attention to clean water and buckets. If necessary, a conditioner can be added to the water. In the EU, flowers are largely traded in water-filled buckets. In intercontinental trade,

The value of flowers to consumers is strongly related to their vase life from the moment of purchase. ... Flower ripening during transport from the farm to the retailer is detrimental to the flowers’ value. That is why the flower industry must use cool chains for trade and distribution to keep flowers fresh. it is not possible to use buckets. Exporters have to use boxes instead. The purpose of boxes is twofold: the boxes protect the flowers and represent the company’s image. Some flower exporters in developing countries produce their own boxes. However, the production of boxes is a completely different business from growing flowers and their box quality is often insufficient. The collapse of boxes after stacking is a common problem. The other important requirement is size, which should match airfreight or EU pallet sizes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Pallet#Dimensions .

The procedures for putting the flowers into the boxes also affect the risk of mechanical damage during transport. Over-packing will result in a situation where the flowers bear the total load and the box nothing at all. Exporters must establish clear procedures to prevent over-packing and subsequent loss of quality. They must also pay attention to the stacking of the boxes on the pallet. Proper stacking can prevent a strong rise in temperature due to respiration and the collapse of boxes, and subsequent damage to flowers. Cool chain Flower exporters do not monitor the whole journey of flowers from their farms to the consumers. The journey is often perceived to resemble business class for persons, whereby the flowers can remain in their biological sleeping state, in which they leave the farm, enjoying air-conditioned space and served by attentive personnel. The reality can be gruesomely different, when importers report about severe loss of quality. The value of flowers to consumers is strongly related to their vase life from the moment of purchase. Reasoning from that assumption, flower ripening during transport from the farm to the retailer is detrimental to the flowers’ value. That is why the flower industry must use cool chains for trade and distribution to keep flowers fresh. Cool chains are designed to keep ambient temperatures low from the moment of cutting to the moment that the flowers arrive at the customer-end. The exporter’s main responsibility in cool chain management is

Figure 2: Improper stacking versus proper stacking

Stack of over-packed boxes which does not fit Stack of poor quality boxes which collapsed the pallet size

Stack of boxes with sufficient room for ventilation to cool flowers down in farm’s cold storage prior to transport

Floriculture Today September 2012

Cover Story minimisation of the time between cutting and cooling. Ideally, flowers are cooled within one hour after cutting. After the cold storage, the cool chain becomes more complicated in terms of responsibilities. Exporters must choose between own trucks or a forwarding agent (A forwarding agent is a company which arranges the transport of flowers to the customer) and between delivery based on C&F (Cost & Freight) or FOB (Free On Board). Own trucks and C&F put most responsibility in the hands of the exporter, but also offer most possibilities to control the cool chain. Supply contracts based on C&F allow the exporter to make demands regarding the service of the forwarder or transportation company, including proper cool chain management. The quality of the cool chain can be measured in degree hours, which is the result of the ambient temperature of flowers multiplied by the exposure time. In general, 720 degree hours or less is regarded as an acceptable cool chain (72 hours at 10 degrees). The figure below shows the temperature developments in cool chains based on (palletised) air transport and (containerised) sea transport. The blue area below the graph line represents degree hours. The figures show that cool chains based on sea transport are much longer than cool chains based on air transport, but they also show that temperatures are much lower in the

former. The quality of the air transport cool chain is approximately 960 degree hours (64 hours at 15 degrees), while the quality of the sea transport cool chain is approximately 456 degree hours (456 hours at 1 degree). Conditions for profitable sea freight Sea transport uses refrigerated containers, which do not have to be opened between the moment they leave the flower farm and the moment they arrive at the importer. Figure 4 shows the result: temperature fluctuations are minimal. The concept of sea transport for flowers is not new. Documents of more than 30 years old have already described the concept. Nevertheless, implementation of sea transport in the international flower industry only began in the current century. A wide range of preconditions for the successful transport of flowers overseas caused the delay:

21 days and containers should not be transferred to different ships. v

v Price: The price difference between sea transport and air transport should justify the investments associated with switching from traditional air transport to sea transport. v

Frequency: Ships for Europe must depart at least once a week. Two or more departures are preferable.

Volumes: Exporters must be able to supply large volumes. Approximately 10 tonnes are needed to fill a sea container. Note that consolidation of supplies comprising different flowers is not feasible if the flowers require very different ambient temperatures.

Planning: Exporters must plan the harvest far in advance of the date on which the flowers must arrive at the market, as sea transport takes weeks.

v Suitability: Currently, successful sea transport has been developed for Dianthus, Proteaceae, Hypericum and Rosa. Sea transport for other flowers is expected to be developed soon. v Connection: The exporter must have access to shipping lines to Europe. The duration of shipping should not exceed

Temperature control: The forwarders or transport companies must be able to maintain stable temperatures in refrigerated containers. Reliable companies offer temperature measurement to their customers.

Figure 3: Cool chain for flowers transported by air

Figure 4: Cool chain for flowers transported by sea

In the coming decennia, many flower exporters are expected to overcome the challenges related to sea transport. Although air transport will remain the best solution for the majority of flower transports, sea transport will make up an estimated 10-25% of all flower transports. In the Netherlands, a project called CoCos was set up to stimulate the development of sea transport for flowers. In 2011, project CoCos was followed up by project Q co-trans. Refer to the website of VGB (http://www.vgb.nl/) for more information on these projects, including the n latest developments in sea transport. This survey was compiled for CBI by ProFound â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Advisers In Development in cooperation with FlowerWatch Disclaimer CBI market information tools: http://www.cbi.eu/disclaimer

Floriculture Today September 2012

Event Report

IIFT Workshop

Action Plan for boosting India’s Floriculture Exports

lthough India produces a wide variety of floricultural products that include fresh flowers, foliage and dried flowers, its exports to world markets have been negligible. World flower imports have been continuously on the rise from 4916.88 million US dollars in 2003 to 5930.74 million dollars in 2005 and 7271.88 million dollars end of 2011. India, which produces good quality roses, carnations, chrysanthemums and orchids, however, finds itself in the bottom of world flower trade. Broadly, there are two reasons for it. First, Indian flower exporters have not made a dent in major global import markets that

Floriculture Today September 2012

include countries like Germany, USA, UK, Netherlands and Russia. The export markets for most of the Indian flowers at present are UK, Japan, UAE, Australia and certain emerging South East Asian countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Secondly, in these markets as well as globally, India is found to be losing against competing nations like the Netherlands, Kenya, Ethiopia and Columbia. It is now time for India to act to augment its floriculture exports. With the opening up of world market in the WTO regime, there is free movement of floricultural products worldwide. Each country has equal opportunity for trade in the other’s territory. The business

opportunities for Indian Floriculture exporters are also widening because of various Regional Trade Agreements signed by this country with South East Asian countries like Australia, Korea, Japan and Singapore. To realize the vision of achieving the ambitious floriculture export target of Rs 1000 crore per annum over the next few years, a paradigm shift is required in the export strategy. The key issues that need to be addressed to give a boost to Indian floriculture exports are – economies of scale, product range/ latest varieties, year-round- exports, quality control and certification. Towads this end, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) conducted a one-workshop

Event Report highlighting key issues and contraints faced by Indian floriculture producers and exporters like identification of foreign markts, efficient international supply chain management, auction processes, latest trends and quality requirements.. The program was designed to help growers and traders understand the needs of importers internationally; help understand the infrastructure investments required, taking the Netherlands’ experience into account; and to analyze the role that governments can play in promoting floriculture trade. Objectives This one-day workshop was conducted at Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA) Pune on July 12., with the following specific objectives: v Identify Global business opportunities for Indian floriculture exports v Understanding European buyers requirements and doing flower business in Europe v Understanding Dutch auction processes in flower trade v Understanding Inspection procedures at Dutch auction centres and their quality requirements v Expanding market intelligence on SPSTBT issue for floriculture exports v Understanding Incentives for small growers/small farmers in Netherlands Program started with the opening remarks by the officials from MCCIA followed by welcome by Dr. Satinder Bhatia, Chairperson (ICCD), IIFT. Ms. Tamanna Chaturvedi explained the rationale of the program and the

program objectives. This was followed by the opening remarks on ‘Revisiting impediments for Indian floriculture exports’ by Kamlesh Karle, CEO, Essar Agrotech Limited. Main points highlighted by Karle for discussion were infrastructure at Mumbai airport, phytosanitary checks at the receiving airport and their sampling requirements, possibilities of branding of floriculture products from India, and possibilities of enhancing R & D. Technical sessions Technical session I was devoted to Overcoming domestic issues and exploring our foreign markets. The session primarily

included speakers from National Horticulture board and APEDA. Dr. R.K.Sharma from NHB and Vinod Kaul from APEDA outlined various schemes, subsidies and incentives extended by their organizations in the form of production incentives for small growers and export promotion for floriculture exports from the country. Initiatives by APEDA were categorised as follows: v Scheme for Market Development…… v Scheme for Quality Development…… v S c h e m e f o r I n f r a s t r u c t u r e Development……

Scheme for Market Development Use of packaging material as per standards/specs. Developed/adopted by APEDA

Exporters of fresh fruits/vegetables/flowers and eggs @ 25% with a ceiling of Rs 5 lakhs

Conducting feasibility studies

50% of cost with a ceiling of Rs 5 lakhs per beneficiary

Brand Publicity (Product specific Indian Brands) through advertisement

25% with a ceiling of Rs 50 lakhs p.a.- not more than 3 consecutive years

Scheme for Quality Development…… Assistance for setting up/strengthening laboratories

25% of the cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 20 lakhs per beneficiary

Assistance for organizing seminars/group activities including study tour within the country and for bringing out information literature

50% of the total cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 1 lakh for national and Rs 2 lakhs for international seminar

Scheme for Infrastructure Development Common infrastructure developed by APEDA or any other Government agency like AAI. Etc

25% with a ceiling of Rs 2.5 lakhs per beneficiary

Reefer van for floriculture, livestock and horticulture products Pre-cooling facilities for fresh produce

25% of cost subject to a ceiling of Rs 10 lakhs per beneficiary

Floriculture Today September 2012

Event Report The participants were told that APEDA has taken a number of measures to facilitate floriculture exports including establishment of cold storage and cargo handling facilities at major airports in India, setting up of flower auction centers at Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, and Kolkata acting as readymade market facilities for trading and price discovery for a variety of flowers, both for export and domestic markets. Indian government has also strengthened relations with Dubai Flower Centre which provides the trans-shipment facility for perishable goods in the region to tap the Indian flower export market acting as a hub for Indian growers and traders so that they can reach out to regional, European and American markets. Under the new National Vision for Floriculture, the brainchild of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, some of the supporting activities taken by APEDA included Buyer seller meet, Market survey delegations, Air freight subsidy, Market Facilitation Centre (MFC) and Auction Centres (Mumbai / NOIDA / Bangalore) Bottlenecks as identified by APEDA included IPR issues that inhibit the breeders to send latest varieties in India and restricting Indian growers from access to high yielding

varieties. High duty rates in EU between 8.5% to 12.5% on Indian products are the major hindrance for exports along with the lack of cargo freighter service - flowers move by passenger airlines. Inputs by APEDA were substantiated by K.K. Mammen Mappillai from M /s Indo Bloom Ltd. He narrated his experience of exporting flowers particularly roses to the Netherlands, Dubai & Singapore by entering into a co-operation with Koninklijke Van Zanten to produce chrysanthemum cuttings for export. The problems cited by an Indian exporter were non-availability of roses for export, increase of price in local market and lack of availability of varieties suitable for specialized markets, high freight cost, high cost of royalties on new varieties, establishment of industrial parks at ideal cultivatable area. After this participants were exposed to the functioning of the Dutch auction centre at the Netherlands by Bipin Deo. Ms. Tamanna Chaturvedi from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade spoke about tariff and non tariff barriers faced by Indian Floriculture exporters. Presentations on various trade data bases of global trading partners were made and provided to the participants as handy tool to explore the possibilities of product and market

diversification including import duty structure, existence of regional trading agreements between competing supplying countries and EU, various non-tariff barriers for Indian floriculture products like tariff rate quotas in European market. Sanitary and Phytosanitary issues like quality requirements, absence of insects, packaging and labelling issues under WTO Technical barriers to trade etc were elaborated. Participants were exposed to the list of internet address on compliance issues including quality, social, and environmental and technology. Various issues pertaining to rules of origin, content addition, value addition etc in an RTA/PTA and its impact on business opportunities for Indian Floriculture exporters were discussed. Afternoon sessions by Dutch trade experts discussed the functioning of the Dutch auction centre systems and procedure enabling attainment of quality for exportable flowers, Overview of Flora Holland and the process of flower auction. Martinus Soekhie, Managing Director, IndiaGro spoke on incentives for small growers/small farmers extended by the Netherlands government. Indian floriculture exporters may enter into joint ventures with the Dutch on green house and knowledge transfer. Dutch government

Strategies for Boosting Floriculture Exports: Developing an action plan Sl no. Action

Agency responsible

Improving facility at the Mumbai airport

APEDA

Need assessment and technical audit of existing facility and produce paper to be submitted to APEDA and IIFT

Bipin Deo

Training for airport staff on handling of perishable cargo

IIFT

Call for officer at Airport Authority of India

Bipin Deo

Mobilising government support for Sl no. 1-4

Ajil-MRDC

Looking into import of desired pesticide in India Patil

Govind Hande and Dr. Satilal

100% Sampling for Indian floriculture in EU ports

APEDA

8 Growerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education on scientific documentation (training growers on how to identify the exact pest on the basis of life cycle of the pesticide which are not acceptable in EU/Globally)

NHB Govind Hande to prepare training manual Bipin Deo to prepare zero tolerance list and share with growers. MCCIA to facilitate the training

9 Development of new varieties

Division of floriculture at Pusa institute. Sunil Wankahde, Principal, Horticulture Training Centre, Pune.

Feasibility of having a separate Flower promotion Board

APEDA/NHB with MOC

Revamping of Dutch Auction centres initiatives by Growers

APEDA

Floriculture Today September 2012

Event Report can extend subsidies for joint ventures in India, however the company needs to stay at Holland. For issues like enhancement of good agricultural practices 10 million to 300,000 Euros may be extended as subsidies. For details on subsidies www.pnoconsortium. com may be visited. Dutch government also extends subsidies on environment, extension, R&D and establishing information system for auction. Taxation is heavily discounted on breeders on developing new varieties. He further explained the priority flowers/varieties traded in Europe, quality requirements for flowers to be auctioned in Flora Holland, export and market requirements for flowers, challenges faced by Indian flower growers, and suggestions to address these challenges. Examples of Flowers for Wholesale Market v Delphinium Double ( Volkerfrieden ) v Lysianthus Single and Double v Sunflowers (9/12/15/16/Cm Diameter) v Cymbidium Bigheads (Mixbox) v Eryngium (Planum, Orion, Bleu Bell) v Phlox (Bright Eyes, Icecap) v Trachelium v Lilium (Orientals And Longiflorum) v Calla And Zantedeschia v Paeonia Examples Of Greens v Leucadendron Safari Sunset ( Dark ) v Aralia v Monstera v Aspidistra v Grevillea v Pittosporum (Long Lengths 70,80 Cm) v Ruscus (Long Lengths 70, 80 Cm) Examples of Flowers Forretail Market v Alstroemeria v Statice Sinuatum v Solidago v Gypsophila Million Star (Between 15 and 20 Grams) v Solidago Tara (Between 15 And 20 Grams) v Chamalaucium (Waxflower) v Aster v Alchemilla Examples of Greens for Retail Market v Pittosporum (50, 60 Cm) v Ruscus (50, 60 Cm) v Asparagus Varigatus (Also used for Painting )

v Eucalyptus v Philodendron Xanadu v Aspidistra v Leucadendron Reinier Van Zanten, International Account Manager, Flora Holland Stated About Practices Of Grading, Sorting And Bunching Of Flowers, Procedure Of Inspection On Arrival In Holland Other Feedback points by the Floriculture exporters/growers/traders

Information & Knowledge sharing about market, production technology.

10. Cool Chain management at airport is main. 11. Special emphasis on training the people who who are handling the product. 12. Post harvesting aids and training to be provided to make sure that the product does not get damaged & handled properly. 13. Freight increase has become a major bottleneck for floriculture exports which should be looked into.

Promote bigger size projects 6-8 Hq for exports.

14. TAS provided should now be revised as the freight is increasing drastically.

Promote smaller size projects 20004000sqm for domestic market.

15. D a i l y p r e d i c t i o n s o f c l i m a t i c conditions.

Freight cost is high 40% in a lost component increase freight subsidy.

Provision of AC wagon by Jhelum express from Pune to Jammu for flowers.

16. Standardizations of package of practices for production of quality of flowers with low cost.

Promote Big Projects abolish upper limit of NHD subsidy to 25% of total capital cost.

Inland freight subsidies to be given like for grape Sea Container.

19. Interest has to be down to 4% from 14% to the growers.

See if Holland is ready to have joint venture with Group of Farmers (Cooperative farmers) and buy back the flowers.

20. Transport subsidy to stay increase (including land) to neutralized $ 3.00/kg as compared to $1.5/kg.

Data base of all floriculture produce.

17. Identification of open field flower crops and varieties suitable for export. 18. Promote floriculture under PPP (Public Private Partnership).

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; TVS

Floriculture Today September 2012

Research A survey was conducted in Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindugal, Tirunelveli and Salem districts of Tamil Nadu to know the association of plant-parasitic nematodes in jasmine (Jasminum spp.). Eight nematodes viz., Hoplolaimus in dicus, Helicotylenchus dihystera, Longidorus sp.; Meloidogyne incognita, Pratylenchus delattrei, Radopholus similis, Tylenchorhynchus nudus and Xiphinema insigni were found associated with rhizosphere of jasmine. Meloidogyne incognita and P. delattrei were the frequently encountered nematodes with higher relative density and prominence value. Experiments conducted on pathogenicity of M. incognita and P. delattrei on Jasminum sambac revealed that an inoculum level of 10,000 or more M. incognita J2/plant was pathogenic which caused significant reduction in plant height, shoot weight, root weight and flower yield. Reduction in growth and yield of jasmine due to M. incognita inoculation was higher than P. delattrei at equal inoculum levels.

Floriculture Today September 2012

Jasmine

Association of phytonematodes and their pathogenicity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; N. SEENIVASAN Department of Nematology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore

esides the domestic purposes, jasmine flowers are used for production of jasmine concrete, which is main constituent in any cosmetic or perfumery industry. Among 80 jasmine species found in India, three species viz.., Jasminum sambac (Gundumalli/Madurai Malli), J. auriculatum (Mullai) and J. grandiflorum (Jathimalli/ Pitchi) are cultivated commercially, the later one being cultivated for concrete extraction. Tamil Nadu is the leading producer of jasmine in the country with an annual production of 77247 t from the cultivated area of 9360 ha. Recently nematodes have been recognized as a serious constraint to the productivity of this crop. Rajaram and Rajendran (1979) reported the occurrence of the root knot nematode

from jasmine fields of Tamil Nadu. Khan and Reddy (1991) recorded heavy population of Radopholus similis from stunted jasmine plants in Bangalore. Further, not much of work is available on the association of plant-parasitic nematodes and their pathogenicity details in jasmine. Hence, systematic studies were made to assess the community structure of nematodes in jasmine, and their pathogenicity potential on jasmine. MATERIALS AND METHODS Survey During June 2006 to May 2007, a random survey was carried out in 36 jasmine fields from Virudhunagar, Madurai, Dindugal, Tirunelveli and Salem Districts of Tamil Nadu. Soil and root samples collected from five

Research plants selected at random from each field were pooled to form a composite sample (200 g soil and 6g roots). Soil samples were processed by Cobb’s decanting and sieving technique followed by modified Baermann’s funnel technique. (Southey,1986). Rootsamples (5g each) washed in running tap water were cut into 1-2 cm bits and kept directly on perforated plastic tray containing double layer of tissue paper fitted in solid plastic tray containing sufficient water to touch the bottom of perforated tray. This set was left for 24 h by maintaining water level. The nematode water suspension in solid plastic tray was reduced by decantation and nematodes separated by modified Baermann’s funnel technique (Bhosle et al., 2004). The nematodes collected were killed by heat and fixed by adding equal volume of 4 per cent formalin. The number of different genera, of nematodes in suspension was counted under a stereoscope microscope at 40x magnification. The absolute frequency, relative frequency, - absolute density, relative density and prominence value were calculated as per Norton (1978). Pathogenicity test The root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita and lesion nematode, Pratylenchus delattrei were involved in pathogenicity studies as they recorded higher prominence value. Pot culture experiments were conducted during 2007 -2008 for pathogenicity of M. incognita and P. delattrei on jasmine (Jasminum sambac) at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam, Tamil Nadu, India. Three month old uniform sized seedlings of jasmine Cv. Local were transplanted singly in 5 kg soil capacity clay pots containing autoclaved pot mixture soil (sand: red earth: farm yard manure - 2: 1: 1). After establishment of seedlings, plants were

inoculated with. M. incognita and P. delattrei as indicated in Table 2. Meloidogyne incognita and P. delattrei populations used in this study were isolated from jasmine (Jasminum sambac) plants at Dindugal district and pure cultures were maintained on tomato Cv. Local and jasmine Cv. Local respectively. Egg masses of M. incognita were picked from roots, allowed to hatch in a beaker of distilled water and the hatched juveniles (J2) were used for inoculation. Mixed life stages obtained by root maceration technique were used as inoculum for P delattrei. Each treatment was replicated four times in a completely randomized design. Nine months after planting, plant height, shoot weight and root weight were recorded. The flowers emerged were picked at regular interval and flower weight recorded. The root system was gently washed and number galls

The results on pathogenicity test revealed that an inoculum level of 10,000 or more M. incognita J2/5 kg soil was pathogenic which caused significant reduction in plant height, shoot weight, root weight and flower yield

Table 1: Community analysis of phytonematodes associated with jasmine in Tamil Nadu Nematode genera

Absolute Relative Absolute Relative frequency frequency density density

Prominence value

Helicotylenchus dihystera

41.6

9.5

16.7

3.3

10.7

Hoplolaimus indicus

86.1

19.7

21.3

8.6

19.6

Longidorus sp

19.4

4.4

9.4

0.9

4.1

Meloidogyne incognita

100.0

22.9

87.5

41.6

87.5

Pratylenchus delattrei

100.0

22.9

70.6

33.6

70.6

55.5

12.7

27.9

7.37

20.7

8.3

1.9

2.7

0.1

0.8

25.0

5.7

37.1

4.4

18.6

Radopholus similis Tylenchorynchus nudus Xhiphinema insigni

were counted and a gram of root randomly taken from each replicate was stained in acid fuchsin-Iactophenol and number of females per gram of root was recorded. A gram of root from each replicate was macerated for assessing’ populations of P. delattrei. Soil nematode population in 200 cc soil from each replicate was determined by Cobb’s decanting and sieving technique followed with modified Baermann’s funnel technique. RESULTS The results of the study revealed that a total of eight genera of nematodes distributed in jasmine fields of Tamil Nadu (Table 1). The occurrence of the nematodes revealed that Meloidogyne incognita and Pratylenchus delattrei were predominant with 100% frequencies and was followed by Hoplolaimus indicus (86.1 %). The highest relative frequency of 22.9 % was noted in M. incognita and P delattrei. M. incognita ranked first followed by P delattrei as per the relative frequency. The prominence value was also the highest for M. incognita followed by P delattrei. The present investigation indicated that M. incognita and P delattrei were the prominent nematodes in jasmine. Such association of root-knot and lesion nematodes was also reported earlier (Rajaram and Rajendran, 1979; Ismail et al., 2004). The results on pathogenicity test revealed that an inoculum level of 10,000 or more M. incognita J2/5 kg soil was pathogenic which caused significant reduction in plant height, shoot weight, root weight and flower yield (Table 2). An inverse proportional relationship between population of M. incognita and the above mentioned growth parameter and yield was observed. At 1,00,000 J2 inoculum level, reduction in plant height, shoot weight, root weight and flower yield were maximum. The inoculum level of 10 J2/plant was sufficient to induce gall formation in J. sambac, while the highest galling was observed at 1,00,000 J21 plant. The increase in nematode population in root and soil was directly proportional to the inoculum levels. Reduction in growth and yield of jasmine due to M. incognita inoculation was higher than P. delattrei at equal inoculum levels. An inoculum level of 1,00,000 P. delattrei 15 kg soil was found to reduce plant height, and root weight significantly. Influence of various level of P. delattrei on shoot weight and flower yield was not significant. The increase in P. delattrei population in root and soil was as similar to Floriculture Today September 2012

Research Table 2: Effect of different inoculum levels of M. incognita and P. delattrei on growth, yield and nematode populations on jasmine Inoculum level/plant

Plant height (cm)

Shoot weight (g)

Root weight (g)

Flower No. of No. of No. of yield nematodes/ nematodes/ galls/ (g/plant) 200g soil g root plant

0 (control)

20.9

202.8

68.3

52.4

10 J2 M. incognita

20.6

196.8

67.6

51.2

42.0

30.0

38.0

100 J2 M. incognita

20.3

196.2

66.2

49.2

68.0

121.0

158.0

1000 J2 M. incognita

19.3

187.2

62.2

47.4

241.0

164.0

211.0

10000 J2 M. incognita

15.8

165.2

48.3

38.2

611.0

348.0

842.0

100000 J2 M. incognita

15.1

160.2

42.4

36.2

710.0

452.0

962.0

10 P. delattrei

20.8

197.2

63.8

52.0

31.0

26.0

100 P. delattrei

20.2

197.6

63.1

51.8

98.2

82.8

1000 P. delattrei

19.4

190.6

62.3

48.6

152.4

114.6

10000 P. delattrei

18.1

188.2

61.2

46.3

182.8

168.0

100000 P. delattrei

16.0

186.1

55.2

44.1

233.0

222.6

2.5

17.8

7.8

9.3

22.3

21.3

23.3

C.D. (P=0.05)

M. incognita. Results confirm the high damage potential of M. incognita on J. sambac. The reduction in growth and yield of jasmine plants inoculated with M. incognita was higher than that from P. delattrei at equal inoculum level. These results confirm the high degree of virulence

Floriculture Today September 2012

of M. incognita as compared to P delattrei. The relationship between growth reduction and inoculum levels for both M. incognita and P. delattrei was directly proportional but their damage potentials significantly varied. This might be due to the differences in the degree of pathogenicity, reproduction potential, nature

of parasitism (Eisenback and Griffin, 1987) and host suitability (Gay and Bird, 1973), etc. In conclusion, the results indicate that M. incognita is one of the severe constraints to Jasmine cultivation and needs attention to develop suitable control measures. n

Floriculture Today September 2012

Landscaping

Diversity of wild plant species in

Western Ghats

for landscaping

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; T.Arumugam Professor, Department of Horticulture, Agricultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Madurai

The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri Hills, are well known for their rich and unique assemblage of flora and fauna. Nornan Myers included the Western Ghats amongst the 25 biodiversity hot-spots identified in the world. Geologically the Western Ghats may be divided into two segments. The hills north of the Krishna basin (largely Maharashtra and Gujarat) with fragile basaltic rocks are results of the same processes that gave rise to the Deccan trap. Isolated, conical, flat-topped hills occur here with steep sides, marked with striations. Soils vary from humus-rich peat in the montane areas to

Floriculture Today September 2012

laterite in the lower elevation and high rainfall belts. Soils are generally acidic. The Western Ghats harbour two parts viz., Southern Western Ghats and Northern Western Ghats (Nayar, 1996). Ahmedulla and Nayar (1987) on the basis of distribution of endemic species of Peninsular India considered the following regions as centres of endemism: Northern Western Ghats (River Tapti to Goa), Central Western Ghats (River Kalinadi to Coorg) and Southern Western Ghats (Travancore, Malabar, Nilgiri, Anamalai, Palni, TInneveli hill complex) Climatic, conditions in the Western Ghats

vary with the altitude and physical proximity to the Arabian Sea and the equator. Although the Western Ghats experience a tropical climate being warm and humid during most of the year with mean temperature ranging from 200C in the south to 240C in the north, the higher elevations experience subtropical climates arid, on occasions, frost. Further, it has been observed that the coldest periods in the southern Western Ghats coincide with the wettest. Areas in the northern Western Ghats (in the State of Maharashtra) receiving the highest rainfall (locally over 9000 mm) experience dry weather over more than half the

Landscaping year. On the contrary, areas receiving much less rainfall in Kerala and closer to the equator experience rain almost all through the year. Human ecology and its impact on the biodiversity of the Western Ghats The Western Ghats\first came under human influences during the palaeolithic or old stoneage some 12,000 years ago. Stone tools used by palaeolithic people have been excavated in the river valleys of Palakkad, Mallapuram and Dakshina Kannada districts in the Western Ghats. Elsewhere, palaeolithic artifacts have been found in and around Mysore, Chickmagalur and Shimoga districts of western Kamataka. Human influences have had varied impacts on the biodiversity of the Western Ghats. Unique landscape elements such as the Myristica swamps gave way to cultivation of rice. The use of fire to clear forests for cultivation has had a major influence on the forests of the Western Ghats. The spread of bamboo and deciduous trees in the region would have been aided by this human practice. Apart from the introduction of commercially important plants, there have been invasions by a number of aggressive alien plant species. A large number of ornamental plants of temperate origin have since run wild in the higher elevations of the Western Ghats. For instance, in Palani Hills alone there are 600 such species especially, around Kodaikanal. Similarly, 400-500 introduced species of plants have been reported from the Nilgiris. Hill agro ‘ecosystems in the Western Ghats are today dominated by estates chiefly of tea, coffee, rubber and mono cultures of various tree species, including the oil palm that was introduced lately. Important amongst these are Lantana camera (var. aculeata), Eupatorium odoratum, Mikania cordata, Parthenium hysterophorus, etc. Wattle (Acacia sp) once introduced for the extraction of tannin in the higher hills is today a major threat to the sholas and grasslands at these altitudes. Flora of Western Ghats As early as 1904 Hooker had drawn attention to the distinct flora of the Western Ghats, which he called the ‘Malabar’ floristic region. The presence of Bambusaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Clusiaceae, Myristicaceae and Arecaceae have contributed to its distinctness. The various major vegetation types are tropical evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests,

Apart from a number of orchid species, sub-species and varieties, Silent Valley has a rich assemblage of promising ornamental plants. This is an untapped resource which can be sustainably utilized

scrub jungles, sholas, savannas including high rainfall savannas, peat bogs and Myristica swamps. Of India’s 25000 plant species, about 4000 species are reported from the Western Ghats, of this 1600 are endemics (40% of the total number of endemics) found along the seaward side of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Although the exact number keeps varying with the author and time, what is of interest is that nearly 38% of all species of flowering plants in the Western Ghats are endemic. There are four noted hotspots existing in the region with high concentration of endemic species. They are Agastiyamalai with 189 endemics, Anaimalai and Anamudi (158 endemics), Nilgiris (92 endemics) and Ratnagiri and adjoining areas (102 species). These endemic species are distributed in 60 genera under 58 families. There are 5 families with a high percentage of’endemism viz., Balsaminaceae with 80 species, Euphorbiaceae (34), Rubiaceae (34), Myrtaceae (30) Lauraceae (22) are occurring in the Western Ghats. Further it has been observed that the endemic species in general predominate with those south Indian flowering plants listed as endangered plants in the Red Data Books. Thus amongst the 171 species listed in the Red Data books, 42% are from

evergreen forest, 10% from grasslands, 25% from high altitudes above 1800 m, 10% from lithophytic habitats, 9% from steam banks and 8% from epiphytes. The gymnosperm flora is represented by Cycas circinalis (Cycadales), Decussocarpus wallichianus (Coniferales), Gnetumula and G contractum (Gnetales). Pteridophytes Ferns flora of the Western ghats are represented by 349 species / varieities (Manickam, 2005). Bryophytes Mosses are represented by 2000 species belonging to 342 genera and 54 families with 678 endemic to the country. Of these, 682 species belonging to 171 genera and 42 families with 190 of the endemic from Western Ghats. Liverworts are represented by 816 species belonging to 135 genera and 49 families with 244 species endemic to the country. Ofthese, 280 species belonging to 79 genera and 32 families with 121 of the endemic from Western Ghats. Hornworts are represented by 34 species belonging to 5 genera and 3 families with 16 species endemic to the country. Of these, 11 species belonging to 4 genera and 3 families with 7 of the endemic from Western ghats (Daniels, 2005). Information on the Lichen wealth of the Western Ghats are scanty and much studies are awaited in these fields. Orchids: Western Ghats harbours 283 species, 3 subspecies and 4 varieties in 77 genera. Of these 85 species, 2 subspecies, 2 varieities.are confined to the Western Ghats (Sathish & Rao, 1998). Most of them are highly potential for breeding as well as for horticulture field. Apart from the orchids, Silent Valley has a rich assemblage of promising ornamental plants. This is an untapped resource which can be sustainably utilized. Genera like Aeschynanthus (one var.), Arisaema (eight spp.), Begonia (two spp.), Didymocarpus (two spp.), Exacum (three spp.), Globba (two spp.), Gymnostachyum (one sp.), Hedychium (three spp.), Hoya (two spp.), Impatiens (nine spp.), Jasminum (five spp.), Lilium (one var.), Medinilla (two spp.), Rhyncoglossum (one sp.), Sonerila (five spp.), Strobilanthes (twelve spp.), Thunbergia (three spp.) etc. have beautiful flowers. These taxa are worthy of introduction as garden plants. Many species ofImpatiens, Strobilanthes and Thunbergia are particularly promising. Wild edible Plants: In all 166 species of wild edible plants are reported from Western Ghats. Floriculture Today September 2012

Landscaping Wild Ornamentals Plants The wild ornamental plants of the Western ghats are poorly studied. Study of Thomas et al (1998) on the wild ornamental plants of Kerala state revealed the boundless resource of these genetic stocks from the regions. They have enumerated a total of 139 species belonging to 102 genera in 47 families, out of the 300 candidate species studied. Many of these species can be directly introduced to the horticulture field without any up-gradations. Study on these topics is immediately warranted. Bamboos: Muktesh Kumar (1991) recorded 24 species belonging to 8 genera of the bamboos from the Western Ghats. In Kerala wild ornamental plants are concentrated in three regions viz: Agastyarmalai hills, Anamalai hills and Silent Valley. These three hot spots are holding more than 250 promising ornamental plants. As a pioneer study conducted by TBGRI during 1992-1993, 130 field trips were organized. This resulted to the collection of 300 candidate plants to TBGRI. After their evaluation studies, we found nearly 160 plants are very promising

Floriculture Today September 2012

for introduction to garden without any up gradation. A few species were recommended for hybridization and radiation study. A garden has been established with wild ornamental plants at TBGRI. There are 255 sacred groves are spread across Thiruvananthapuram district. It harboUrs about 598 species of flowering plants belonging to J 68 families. Grewia palodensis, Biophytum veldkampii, Biophytum reinwardtii var keralanum, Thottea keralensis are the novelties found exclusively in the sacred groves. Memecylon sylvaticum, Sida unicorn is, Eugenia terpenophylla are the Sri Lankan species reported for the first time in India from these groves. The species which are thought to be extinct such as Buchanania barberi and Dalbergia travancorica are rediscovered from these groves. The major dieties are Naga, Nagayekshi, Madan etc. Rare and threatened plants Recent studies on the rare and threatened plants revealed that ,more than 500 species of flowering plants in the Western Ghats are in the rare and threatened categories (Vajravelu & Vivekananthan, 1996). Of these 185 plants

are reported from the southern Western Ghats alone. Several species reported from this area have not been relocated even from the type locality, showing that they are presumably extinct. Wild flowers are the ancestral stock of the present garden plants. Plant hunters over ages explored wilderness and introduced many promising wild plants of having horticultural potentials. Many rich men all over the world were sponsors of plant explorations. Plant breeders as well as horticulturists invested their efforts resulted the emergence of many novelties of hybrids. Still a lot of plants of these categories are awaiting for its discoverers and more focus have to concentrate on these unexploited or under exploited group of plants. Introduce such beautiful plants to the garden world before they become extinct will be the foremost gift to a plant lover. The present day landscapers and nurserymen are hunting for new plants species to create variety in the landscaping and the nurserymen are interested to satisfy their clients with newer plants species or through manmade varieties and n hybrids.

Floriculture Today September 2012

Research

Fig. 1 & 2 Different types of glass containers decorated by using dehydrated flowers of annual chrysanthemum

Standardization of floral dehydration technique for Annual chrysanthemum A novel and unique method of value addition â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A.K.Dwivedi, Shubhra Misra, Kulshreshtha, Kamla and B.K.Banerji

lowers of annual chrysanthemum were collected in morning from the field and were embedded in silica powder inside the earthen pot in three layers and placed inside the oven for dehydration. The temperature of the electric oven was fixed at 460c for 48 hours. After the treatment pots were taken out and resting period of 30minutes were given to pots to come down at room temperature. Flowers were gently taken out in plastic trays. Artistic arrangements of flowers were made by using thermo Cole at the base which was covered by velvet paper to provide contrast background. Different types of glass containers were used for making the decorative items. Value added items made from annual chrysanthemum flowers have more than five

Floriculture Today September 2012

years of life. In the present investigation technique of dehydration of flowers of annual chrysanthemum by embedding method using silca gel has been standardized and value added products have been made successfully. Annual chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum malticaule) is a winter blooming ornamental plant belongs to family Asteraceae. The plant is a native of Algeria. Plant is generally grown in the beds and widely used in monochromatic landscaping. Plant attains height up to 30cm. Blooming starts in the month of January and continued up to mid of April. Flower shape, size and colour (yellow) are ideal for dehydration. Dehydration of flowers and floral craft is one of the important components of value added products as it is widely used in

floriculture industry. Dry flower industry in our country comprises of dehydrated flowers, foliage, fruits, seeds, inflorescence of weeds and potpourri items. It is growing in a rapid speed, and at present contributing up to 70% of the exported floriculture produce. CSIR - National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow being a pioneer in dry flower technology has gathered enough expertise with different ornamental plants Bhutani (1990), Datta (1999) and Dwivedi et.al. (2009). They have added new dimension to this technology. In the present investigation an attempt has been made to standardize the dehydration technique of annual chrysanthemum flowers by embedding method using silica gel as absorbent. The time and temperature required for drying of flowers has

Research been standardized and value added products have been made by using dehydrated flower of annual chrysanthemum. Material and Methods Newly open fresh and healthy flowers of annual chrysanthemum were collected in perforated trays in morning from the field of floriculture section for dehydration. Embedding was done in three layers in earthen pots by using silica powder (grain size 60-120 mesh) as an absorbent. Earthen pots were kept inside the hot air electric oven at 460c for 48 hours. After the heat treatment pots were taken out. Thirty minutes of resting period was provided to cool down the pots in room temperature. Flowers were taken out gently and kept in plastic perforated trays. Making of artistic glass containers is an art which is completed in following steps: i) Preparation of base Glass containers of different shape and size were cleaned thoroughly and their glass bases along with thermo Cole base were cut according to the size of the container. Contrast velvet paper (pink and orange) were pasted with fevicol on the upper surface of the thermo

Dehydration of flowers along with floral craft is one of the important components of value added products as it is widely used in floriculture industry. Dry flower industry in our country comprises of dehydrated flowers, foliage, fruits, seeds, inflorescence of weeds and potpourri items cole for using it as a base material for different types of floral arrangements. ii) Arrangement of flowers Dry thin stem sticks, collected from acroclinum plants were used for making floral

arrangements. Thin sticks of different length were used to fix flower at the top and their base end were fixed on thermo cole base and artistic pyramidal design were made. In the beginning the longest stick was placed at the centre and subsequently, length of the stick with flower was reduced in different concentric circles. The floral arrangements of the outer most circles were made with very small stick. iii) Fixing of glass cover Glass cover (with fevicole addehesive at their base) of different shape and size were placed on the floral arrangement which serves as cover. Glass shield in the form of container is very essential to protect the flower arrangements from the outer atmospheric pollutants, micro organism and humidity. It also provides long life to the flowers. In some of the glass containers ready made glass slab is used, while in others circular glass is good enough to seal the base. Now these decorative glass containers are ready for sale. Data were recorded on floral characters of fresh and dry flowers (Table-1) Statistical analyses of the data have been done following Panse and Sakhatame (1985).

Floriculture Today September 2012

Research Table-1: Morphological characters of fresh and dehydrated flowers of Annual Chrysanthemum Floral Characters

Fresh Flowers

Dehydrated flowers

Colour Range of Ray florets Yellow Group 12A, Fan-1

Yellow Group12A, Fan-1 to Yellow Group12B, Fan-1

Colour Range of disc florets Yellow Orange Group 17A, Fan-1

Yellow Orange Group 17A, Fan-1 to Yellow Orange Group 21B, Fan-1

Flower head Size (cm) ± SE

2.28 ± 0.14

2.25 ± 0.05

Flower disc Size (cm) ± SE

0.72 ± 0.12

0.70 ± 0.04

Flower head height (cm) ± SE

0.60 ± 0.10

0.60 ± 0.01

Head weight (gm) ± SE

0.56 ± 0.10

0.20 ± 0.014***

Ray floret length (cm) ± SE

0.78 ± 0.06

0.75 ± 0.03

Ray floret width (cm) ± SE

0.48 ± 0.03

0.43 ± 0.02

*** = P < 0.001 Results Colours of freshly harvested flowers were recorded with the help of Royal Horticulture Society colour chart (Anonymous, 1992). Fresh flower exhibited yellow colour (Yellow group 12 A, Fan-1) while after dehydration colour of the flower was very slightly changed and recorded as Yellow Group 12 B, Fan-1 (Table-1). Colour of the fresh centrally placed disc floret of annual chrysanthemum exhibited

Floriculture Today September 2012

Yellow orange Group 17A, Fan-1 while after dehydration it changes in to Yellow Orange Group 21B, Fan-1. Visually it is very difficult to differentiate the change of flower colour after dehydration but when it was compared with RHS colour chart it has been observed that there was a very minor change in flower colour after dehydration. This is the uniqueness of the dehydration technology which has been standardized in floriculture section and exploited in a very big way for value addition by making different types and size of decorated glass containers. All the data given in table-1 were recorded from fresh flower and dry flower. Earlier dehydration of African and French marigold flowers by embedding method (using silica gel as absorbent) has been standardized by Banerji and Dwivedi (2010). Dehydration of Zinnia flower by embedding method has been standardized by Singh, et.al (2004) by using hot air electric oven. Dehydration technique for calendula flowers have

been standardized by Memon et.al.,(2008). Misra et.al. (2009, 2010) standardized dehydration technique for ornamental flowers and Zinnia by using micro wave oven. Aravinda and Jayanthi (2004) and Bhalla et.al. (2006) reported dehydration technique in different chrysanthemum cultivars. Safenna et.al. (2006) and Bahera (2009) has developed dehydration technique for rose buds of different cultivars. Visually flower colour and shape remained unaltered after dehydration; however significant (P< =0.001) reduction in head weight was recorded after dehydration. The reduction in flower weight may be due to loss of moisture content of the fresh flowers. Slight change in ray-floret size (length and width) was observed after dehydration but this change was insignificant. Dehydrated flowers were safely stored in glass dissecators for their use in making different types of containers. Different shapes and size of containers which have been prepared during investigations are given in Fig-1. Techno-economics worked out earlier in this aspect, clearly indicated that this business is hundred per cent profitable. These products are in high demand. These value added products are directly sold through our sale section. CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow also organizes individual and group training courses on dehydration of flowers and floral craft. Acknowledgement Thanks are due to Director CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow for providing the facilities. (Authors are from the Garden and Floriculture Section, CSIR – NBRI, Lucknow)

Floriculture Today September 2012

Landscaping

Balling-and-burlapping is favoured for all evergreen trees greater than two inches in diameter. Even though many plants may be moved, balled and burlapped during any time of year, the greatest success is achieved by transplanting them during the dormant season

Tree Transplanting techniques for

Urban Landscaping â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Dr. M. Kannan, Dr. M. Jawaharlal & P. Ranchana

Trees and palm suitable for transplanting Cassia fistula

Callistemon lanceolatus

Bauhinia purpurea

Calophyllum inophyllum

n an emergency, a tree can be transplanted any time but results are best if it is transplanted in winters or early summers, when the tree is in a dormant stage, before new leaves come out or just before the monsoons if there is no water stagnation at the transplant site. Literally any tree can be transplanted, but the results of the transplant are best with trees with superficial, fibrous roots. Trees with deep tap roots have a much less rate of success but they can be transplanted. Preparing for transplant Tools required for transplanting v JCB Machine: 5 days before the day of transplant & during the transplant day. v Heavy Duty Crane: on the day of transplant. v Workers with shovels: 4-6 on the day of transplant v Three 15 feet long thick rope with iron anchors to hold the tree if required. v Manure and good soil, if the soil at the recipient site is not good. If the tree is to be transported to a distance then v Truck to transport it. v Jute bags, which have been cut open and jute rope to cover the root ball of the tree Timing The recommended time for moving trees is during the dormant season. Early spring

Floriculture Today September 2012

Landscaping 2. Roystonea regia

Cytostachys renda

(March) is generally the best time to transplant in hilly regions and pre- monsoon period for tropical plains, conditions should be ideal for rapid root growth. Digging should be done when the soil is moist and when the plant is not under moisture stress. If transplanting to be done in August to October, conifer trees move best early and hardwood trees move better after they are dormant, in high altitudes. Methods Plants are either moved “bare-root” or “balled-and-burlapped” (with an intact soil ball). Bare-root transplanting is usually limited to small deciduous trees (up to two inches in diameter); bare-root transplanting should always be done before summer. Balling-andburlapping is favoured for all evergreen trees greater than two inches in diameter. Even though many plants may be moved, balled and burlapped during any time of year, the greatest success is achieved by transplanting them during the dormant season (Resting period). Size of Soil Ball The size of the soil ball dug depends primarily upon the size of the plant to be moved. Plant species, soil type, and post-planting care may slightly modify the recommended diameter of the soil ball. Species that are difficult to move should have a larger soil ball diameter than those that are more easily transplanted. Heavier soils (clays and clay loams) are preferred when moving trees because the soil ball holds together much better than coarse textured soils. Loose, sandy soils may make transplanting with balled-

The width of the pit should be twice the root ball size Roughen the sides of the pit so that the new roots will find it easier to penetrate. Put manure mixed with top soil in the pit

31-40 inches 60% of width of the soil ball. Selecting a Site 1. A recipient site as near the original site would be good because the soil and environmental conditions would be similar. 2. Preferably one should be able to dig a recipient pit about twice the size of the root ball of the selected tree. 3. It is best to orient the tree in its new site in the same direction, so that the sun comes on it the same way as it did on the original location.

The Transplant Process v Dig a trench about a foot away from the drip line, about 2 feet deep, exploring the area for major root branches. v Separate the roots from stones as gently as possible. Cut a few major roots as possible, smaller roots are the important ones and must be preserved. If the roots are deep, go as deep as possible, keeping in mind the final weight of tree with its soil, since it needs to be lifted by the crane. v Rocking the tree gently back and forth as digging progresses will help separating the roots. Keep as much soil in place as possible. v The roots and the soil in between are called the “Root Ball”. v Drag/ lift the tree with the help of a crane to its new location if it is nearby; never roll it. v If distance is involved, wrap moistened jute bag cloth, which has been cut open, over the root ball and tie it with a jute rope. The less the roots are exposed to air, the better it is for the tree. Never allow the roots to dry during transport. v Orient the tree correctly with respect to the sun, erect it with the crane and gently lower it in the recipient pit. Put top soil, manure and water mixed with root hormone into the hole as the tree goes in to close any air pockets which may develop. v Water the tree well. v If the tree appears unstable, hold it in position with the help of ropes. v To check for subsequent water requirements, dig down 3 to 4 inches next to the tree. Wet soil at that depth verifies watering is not needed at that time. v Do not add any fertilizers for at least one year after the transplant.

Preparing the recipient site 1. It is good to dig the recipient site a few days earlier so that sunlight disinfects the soil as much as possible.

Trees suitable for transplanting Trees that Brighten up the Surroundings Examples: Bombax ceiba (Tree cotton), Bauhinia purpurea (camel’s foot tree), Butea

and-burlapped techniques very difficult or even impossible. Trees that are guaranteed to receive exceptionally good post-planting care may be moved with slightly smaller soil ball than the minimum recommended. The depth of soil ball is also important and should be sufficient to hold the majority of fibrous roots and to provide mechanical support. The following recommendations are given for depth of soil ball based on diameter Relationship between diameter and depth of the rootball Ball Diameter Ball Depth (Width) less than 20 inches

75% of width

20-30 inches

67% of width

Floriculture Today September 2012

Landscaping monosperma (Flame of the forest)., Cassia fistula (Golden shower), Cassia javanica (Apple blossom tree) Ever Blooming Trees Examples: Acacia auriculiformis (Auri), Callistemon lanceolatus (Bottle brush)

Tree transplanting

Winter Blooming Trees Examples: Bauhinia purpurea (camel’s foot tree), Butea monosperma (Flame of the forest), Tools used for transplanting

Excavating the soil around the drip edge of the tree

Spring Blooming Trees Examples: Adenthera pavoniana (Red bead tree), Amherstia nobilis (The pride of Burma), Bombax ceiba (Tree cotton), Brownea grandiceps (Rose of venezula) Summer Blooming Trees Examples: Adansonia digitata (Monkey- bead tree), Albizia lebbek (Woman’s tongue tree)

Trimming the exposed roots prior to trying the root ball

Trees that bloom in the rainy season Examples: Alstonia macrophylla (Devil’s tree), Anthocephalus indicus (Kadamba), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Calophyllum inopyllum (Punnai) Palms Areca palm (Areca lutescens), Fish tail palm (Caryota mitis), Royal palm (Roystonea regia), Lipstick palm (Cyrtostachys renda), Doum palm (Hyphaene thebaica) n

Preparing the tree for moving

Trying the root ball

Ready to move

Moving the tree

The tree’s new home

Setting up the sprinkler system to kee the tree moist in its newly transplanted condition

Transplanted Tree in Full bloom

Floriculture Today September 2012

(The authors belong to the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, HC& RI, TNAU, Coimbatore)

Floriculture Today September 2012

GM Technology

Plant Genetic Markers & their Application â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Atul Batra

In just over a decade, it

lant genetic engineering has been made spectacular progress since the recovery of first transformed plants in the early 1980s. Molecular techniques have been applied to an array of species, resulting in the generation of numerous transgenic plants. These plants were initially transformed with marker genes, but subsequently with commercially important genes including those enabling agronomic improvement and alternative uses. Early experiments involved transfer of gene in plants using Agrobacterium tumefactions. Later on protoplasts has opened the way for an alternative procedure for engineering plants using direct DNA transfer. Following the development of particle bombardment methods, the transformation of most crop species has been rapidly achieved using various modifications of the technique. The genetic markers developed for use in plant cells in general, have been derived from either bacterial or plant sources and can be divided into two groups: 1. Selectable markers 2. Screenable markers Selectable markers They allows the selection of transformed cells or tissue explants of their ability to grow in the presence of an antibiotic or herbicide. The most frequently used selectable markers are kanamycin and hygromycin. In addition to selecting for transformants, such markers can be used to follow the inheritance of a foreign gene in a segregating population of plants. Screenable markers They encode gene products whose enzyme

Floriculture Today September 2012

is remarkable, the tool of recombinant DNA technology and cell biology are at the disposal of plant breeders. Important practical issues can now be addressed and agricultural productivity should be the direct beneficiary of advances in this field. activity can be easily assayed, allowing not only the detection of transformants but also an estimation of the levels of foreign gene expression in transgenic tissue. Some of the screenable markers are b-glucuronidase (GUS), luciferase etc. Markers such as Î˛-glucuronidase (GUS), luciferase or galactosidase allow screening for enzyme activity by histochemical staining or fluorimetric assay of individual cells and can be used to study cell specific as well as developmentally regulated gene expression. Selectable / Screenable marker genes for the identification of transformed plant cells Selectable marker genes Two main aspects of the selectable marker genes have to be considered. Firstly, its structure (nucleic acid sequence) which will determine factors such as regulation of transcription, rate of transpiration, and efficiency of translation. Secondly, the gene product itself, which is responsible for the dominant expression of a suitable selective

phenotype. The selectable functions on most transformation vectors are prokaryotic antibiotic resistance enzymes which have been engineered to be expressed constitutively in plant cells. The selective agent concerned must able to extent stringent selection pressure on the plant tissue concerned and kanamycin resistance has proved a very useful transformation marker. Screenable marker genes Screenable marker genes are included on many transformation vectors for two reasons. Firstly, to allow independent verification of the transformed status of tissue growing on media containing selective antibiotic or herbicide. Secondly, as a principal means of identifying transformants in conditions where transformation frequencies are high. The most commonly used screenable markers are chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT), Î˛-glucuronidase (GUS), galactosidase and luciferase. A specific use of a screenable marker is as a reporter gene; both in the development of transformation systems using transient expression assay to monitor success and to test out DNA sequences which may be able to regulate gene expression in stably transformed tissues. It is remarkable that in just over a decade the tool of recombinant DNA technology and cell biology are at the disposal of plant breeders. Important practical issues can now be addressed and agricultural productivity should be the direct beneficiary of advances in this field. (The author is from the Botanic Garden CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow)

Floriculture Today September 2012

Tribute

‘Floriculture Today’ pays tribute to Pulla Nageswara Rao

he floriculture industry of India has lost a doyen in the death of Pulla Nageswara Rao, Managing Director of Sri Satyadeva Nursery, on July 29. Born on 18th September, 1949, Rao’s interests in plants and flowers became evident at an early age. Later, he played a major role in catapulting Sri Satyadeva Nursery to top position in Kadiyam and beyond. A well-known name in national and international nursery sector, Rao was noted for his high standards, extreme dedication and humble nature that inspired many to take up floriculture as a profession. For every floriculturist, he would always be remembered as The Great Nursery Man. The industry would always miss him profoundly. Floriculture Today mourns his loss and expresses heart-felt condolence to his family.

Floriculture Today September 2012

Flower Festival

Medellin Flower Festival 2012

Colombia´s most fragrant and colourful celebration of life

his year, Medellin Flower Festival took place from 3 – 12 August. Medellin’s colorful Flower Festival (Feria de Flores) is a vibrant, eight-day celebration held every August featuring an equestrian extravaganza, treasured antique cars, dozens of shows, and all topped by an unparalleled flower parade. Medellin (Colombia) is a lively, modern, mountain metropolis, standing amid South America’s Andes at 8,000 ft., and known as a City of Eternal Spring. The altitude is just high enough for perfect weather, and ensures an ideal climate for year-round blossoms that has made Medellin “Flower Capital of the Americas.” Medellin’s Flower Festival officially opens with the Cabalgate - a three-hour long horse parade that begins dramatically with Colombia’s vibrant colors - red, yellow, and blue - filling the sky from smoke fireworks, and giving the Feria de Flores a flower kingdom’s majesty. The spirited horses are striking - imposing

Floriculture Today September 2012

Pasofinos trot elegantly, followed by sturdy white, brown, and black thoroughbreds parading triumphantly in unison The riders are decked out in a variety of Paisa clothing - from traditional wide brimmed hats, elaborate western-style boots, and colorful shirts accented with tri-colored Paisa serapes, and many riders show the loveliness of Paisa women. The festival’s Parade of Flowers was next, and is like none other imaginable - a spectacular, mobile show of colossal floral arrangements. The flower displays,

called selliteros, have evolved from small wooden boxes, to extravagant six-foot disks which take strong backs to carry. Like the cabalgate’s parading horses these imaginative arrangements, created by Paisa artists, seem endless; yet one never tires of the amazing colors and imaginative displays of lush green, deep red and purple, to brilliant yellow intended to represent ecological conservation for future generations. As the floral procession unfolds, bystanders cheered, celebrated, and applauded the beautiful arrangements. It was a parade of color, beauty, and a true festival of life. The fair was made up of over 140 events. The most famous of those was the flower bearer’s parade (silleteros parade), for which rural flower farmers, called silleteros, made elaborate floral arrangements on giant circular contraptions that they carried on their backs. These mobile displays could weigh up to 70 kg and measure up to 5 meters in diameter. As many as 70 different types of flowers are used to make a single “silleta”, and the patterns represent the silleteros history, land and culture. Colombia is the world’s second largest exporter of cut flowers and during this ten day celebration locals and tourists use the innocent beauty of the blossom as an excuse to celebrate life, nature and rich Paisa culture. The journey The first Festival of the Flowers took place on May 1, 1957 and was organized by Arturo Uribe, a member of the Board of the Office of Development and Tourism. The festival lasted for five days with an exposition of flowers displayed in the Metropolitan Cathedral, which was organized by the Gardening Club of Medellín and monsignor Tulio Botero to celebrate Virgin Mary day. This flower parade represents the end of slavery when instead of flowers slaves carried men and women on their backs up steep hills. The first silleteros parade also took place with some 40 men from the corregimientoof Santa Elena carrying on their backs flower arrangements to the exposition site. The festival initially took place during the month of May but was changed to August in 1958 to celebrate the independence of Antioquia. Since then, other events have been added like the International Pageant of the Flowers, the cavalcade, Guiness Records in 1996 and 1999, classic automobiles parade, Orchids exposition, among others. n

Floriculture Today September 2012

News

Bringing flower power to O’Hare

t a long-vacant warehouse on the outskirts of O’Hare International Airport, a new industry may bloom. For every dozen fresh-cut flowers flown into the U.S., at least 10 come through Miami, while Chicago gets a few petals or a stem. Back in the 1970s when flower imports from South America took root, Miami already had connecting flights, and Chicago was scrambling to keep up with passenger demand. Today, Chicago officials want more of the bouquet. An expanded O’Hare can easily handle more flights, and plans are under way to boost flower imports by converting an unused, 1960s-era building near the International Terminal into a central refrigerated handling center with offices for government inspectors to expedite the customs and pest inspections. But it will take time, money and perseverance to match the high-volume, streamlined handling that flower importers enjoy in Florida. Trying to create a perishable center outside of Miami has been tried multiple times, says Christine Boldt, executive vice president of the Association of Floral Importers of Florida, a Miami-based trade group. The thing everyone forgets is that it’s very easy to contract to have a plane fly into another airport, but it’s difficult to move flowers through customs, get them fumigated if necessary and then trucked across the country before they spoil. Miami didn’t just happen overnight. While it would be tough to unseat Miami, Chicago officials say the effort is worth it. For one, more of the flowers sold in Chicago would have a longer bloom, cost less or both because they would come in through O’Hare. For another, the city would have a new source of air cargo revenue to bolster the ever-growing cost of running and expanding the airport, not to mention a few more jobs. The timing is right, Chicago Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino says. We have the ingredients in place to make this a success. Given Chicago’s central location and large population, air-shipping flowers directly into Chicago has obvious advantages over trucking them up from Miami. And with hundreds of connecting flights around the world, particularly to huge flower buyers in Asia and the Mideast most recently added were daily flights to Doha by Qatar Airways Chicago could someday emulate Amsterdam as an international flower hub.

Floriculture Today September 2012

Flowers back in Brussels’ City Square

he famous Carpet of Flowers once again graced the central square of Brussels’ Grand Place. Flower carpet is laid out in the Belgian capital every two years for four decades. This year, the vast area of beds for a day of hand-planted hundreds of Belgian florists, was more than two thousand square meters. This year`s Size of flower carpet was 24 to 77 meters. To create a colorful ornament, which reflects the traditional patterns of African tribes from Ethiopia, Congo, Nigeria, Botswana and Cameroon, the designers took 800 thousand colorful begonias and dahlias tens of thousands.

News

Send Flowers gets 5-Star Rating

opConsumerReviews.com recently awarded their highest five-star rating to Send Flowers, a market leader in Flower Delivery. We’re excited to receive TopConsumerReviews.com’s highest rating, said Zack Adams, Send Flowers. Our focus is to provide a personal, professional and honest online shopping experience at Send Flowers. We deliver flowers that you would be proud to give - using only high quality florists to fulfill our orders. In addition to the most up-to-date designs, we also work hard

to keep your budget in mind. Thank you for recognizing our commitment to an excellent shopping experience! Giving flowers is a great way to let others know they’re appreciated. Whether shopping for Mother’ Day, an anniversary, birthday, or other special event, sending flowers to someone’s doorstep can bring happiness and excitement. Selecting a quality florist is important to deliver a successful floral arrangement. Savvy shoppers use the internet to quickly select and order flowers from a florist they can trust.

Send Flowers is the top flower delivery company in our review, explained Brian Dolezal, of TopConsumerReviews.com. This is the place to shop if you’re looking for beautiful and affordable arrangements that you can be proud of. We found some of the most attractive selections available at Send Flowers. Combining up-to-date arrangements with high customer service and affordable pricing makes Send Flowers our top choice for flower delivery providers.

Flower growers to face action for price-fixing

ALAYSIA is ready to make its first decision on anti-competitive behaviour under the Competition Act 2010, which came into force on Jan 1. The Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) is investigating the Cameron Highlands Floriculturist Association (CHFA) for price-fixing. Any move to fix prices and restrict competition in the market is against the law. Based on the findings, the commission has made what it calls a “proposed decision” -- a notice to the affected party listing out the facts and the penalty that could be imposed. In cases involving infringement of the Competition Act, the investigation commences when a case merits an inspection and ends when penalty is imposed. MyCC’s chief executive officer Shila Dorai Raj said that it initiated investigations based on a news report in March. The article, quoting CHFA’s president, said that its members had agreed to increase prices by 10 per cent. CHFA has over 100 members who sell their flowers to distributors and wholesalers in Malaysia. MyCC is the body tasked with the job of

investigating instances of cartels and abuse of the dominant position in the market. “We will provide the ‘proposed decision’ to the affected party,” Shila said. This will allow CHFA the chance to comment or refute it. “Essentially, a ‘proposed decision’ is almost final unless the party can rebut it,” Shila said. Although the act came into force this year, the industry was given an 18-month lead time to prepare. Shila said MyCC was taking a “soft approach” in this case but warned that the decision nevertheless served as a warning that price-fixing was against the law. MyCC, she said, would continue to monitor the activities of all trade associations, including professional bodies, to ensure that they do not indulge in

activities which could stifle competition among them and violate the Competition Act. Any violation may result in a financial penalty of not more than 10 per cent of the worldwide turnover of an enterprise over the period of an infringement. MyCC is now working on eight cases which merit a probe for possible infringement of the Competition Act 2010.

Read Every Month

Floriculture Today E-mail: mediatodaymails@gmail.com Floriculture Today September 2012

Floriculture Today September 2012

Date of Publishing 25-26 Every Month Date of Posting 3-4 Every Month

Floriculture Today September 2012

Postal Regn. No. DL (S)- 17/3212/2012-14 R.N.I. Regn. No. 63761/96