Floriculture Today Magazine | August 2020

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Floriculture Today August 2020

August 2020

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Floriculture Today August 2020

August 2020

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Contents 8

Editorial

v Ornamentals 10 Exotic Flower HELICONIA

Production Technology and Post Harvest Handling

— Chandrashekar, S. Y., Harishkumar, K and Kavana, G. B. 15 Loropetalum Chinense

A Superb Flowering Shrub

— Dr. Raiz Ahmed Lone v Floriculture 16 Success Story Praised in Holland 18 Décor Your Soul

Making Happy Customers — Kishore Rajhans 28 Flower Jewellery

A Profitable Agro-Business

— Deepti Singh, Mayapriya and Chandani v Remedial Values 20 Medicinal Uses of Rose

— Sweta Kumari and Aditi Guha Choudhury 30 Delicate and Fragrant LADY OF THE NIGHT

A Medicinal Gift

— M. J. Anitha Sri 6

Floriculture Today August 2020

v Inauguration 22 Hosur International Auction Centre Inaugurated

by Cm of Tamil Nadu v innovation 33 Control Dekk celebrates 7 years of innovation

“There’s Got to be a Better Way to Water Hanging Baskets” v PANDEMIC 32 Nature Bloom in Pandemic Gloom — Jagreeti Gupta v Flower Decoration 34 Ayodhya Decorated with Nearly 400 Quintals

of Flowers — Sudeepa Ghosh v Houseplants 36 Indoor Plants: A True Heaven — Ravi Savaliya

News Dutch Cutting Supplier Ready to Get Started with New Facility Corona Caused a 10% Loss of Turnover Despite a Strong Recovery Louisville Flower Farmers see Business Bloom amid Pandemic 44 Uk Government Rules out Financial Support

for Ornamentals v 40

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www.floriculturetoday.in

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Chief Editor: S Jafar Naqvi Consulting Editor T.V. Satyanarayanan Chief Coordinator: M.B. Naqvi

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Printed, published and owned by Syed Mohammad Baqar Naqvi, Printed at Sonu Printer, B-180, Okhla Industrial Area Ph-I, New Delhi - 110 020, and Published from A-44, 1st Floor, Freedom Fighter Enclave, Neb Sarai, New Delhi-110068 (INDIA) Editor : S. Jafar Naqvi Vol 25 ....... Issue 3....... August 2020

Editorial

rimson blossoms of the rhododendron tree (Rhododendron arboreum) pops out of the oak and deodar-draped canvas of the western Himalayas as spring get ready to take over. But in Uttarakhand, where the species is the state tree and supports the local economy, there are reports of early flowering that have elicited concerns over the sensitivity and responses of plants to temperature and rainfall (snow) changes in the warming Himalayas.

Adding to the growing discourse on climate sensitivity of species, their ability to keep pace with the changes, and oncoming conservation challenges, R. arboreum is likely to move towards higher elevations in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to cope with climate change. Present throughout

the Indian Himalayan region, R. arboreum is a culturally and ecologically important tree occurring at an altitude of 1500-3300 m.

R. M. Panda of IIT Kharagpur says the species can survive well between 120–170C and in 200 - 1800 mm of rainfall. He cautioned that the species will likely to adjust its distributional range by moving upward (in the western Himalayas) along the elevation gradient with future climate change and geographic isolation as complex terrains could endanger its sustenance.

Tree rhododendrons are listed as endangered in southern India, as vulnerable in Sri Lanka and northeast India, and as threatened in the north-western part of its native range. In some regions, however, there is no particular concern about the conservation of tree rhododendrons. R. arboreum is the only species that occurs throughout the entire Himalayan mountain range, as well as in isolated temperate regions in south India and Sri Lanka.

In Uttarakhand, buransh populations at higher elevations are said to be relatively stable and healthy, but at low and lower-middle altitudes, a range of human activities on the species is affecting the regeneration of R. arboreum populations.

On average, 10-20% of households are involved in the harvest and trade of buransh flowers in four Uttarakhand districts. An average collection of 4 - 30 kg/ household/ season fetches a household Rs. 3000 – 8000/ season from preparations of juice/squash, said natural resource management expert DS Chauhan.

This year peak flowering began in March coinciding with the COVID-19 lockdown scuttling the harvest of the red-pink rhododendron blossoms for processing.

An Indian government report underscored the warming in the HKH region with a temperature rise of about 1.30C. It said that the future warming in the HKH region, “which is projected to be in the range of 2.6–4.60C” by the end of 2100, “will further exacerbate the snowfall and glacier decline leading to profound hydrological and agricultural impacts in the region.”

The Uttarakhand Action Plan on Climate Change stated that the upward shift of the tree line and plants will have severe repercussions such as increasing burden of women who are responsible for fetching fodder and firewood, access edible parts of plants to augment their food security and gather non-timber forest products for a livelihood.

DS Chauhan said value addition to products derived from the flowers and other parts and providing incentives to communities would also pave the way for sustainable extraction.

To help visualise climate data for climate adaptation and planning, the World Resources Institute India has developed the Partnership for Resilience and Preparedness (PREP) platform, a map-based, open-data online platform that allows users to access and visualize climatic, physical, and socioeconomic data. This platform has been developed and piloted in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

PREP data aims at encouraging adaptation practitioners, data developers and innovators, private and public decision-makers, and resilience policy experts to use the platform to analyze vulnerability and build better plans for climate change adaptation.

Comments are welcome at: editorialmtpl@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

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Ornamentals

Exotic Flower

Heliconia

Production Technology and Post Harvest Handling — 1Chandrashekar, 2S. Y., Harishkumar, K and 3Kavana, G. B.

H. latispatha

H

H. rostrata

eliconias are long been popular because of their exotic showy inflorescences.

These are native to South and Central America, are popular as best plant in landscaping and as a potential specially cut flower in flower decorations.

Heliconia, popularly known as lobster claw, wild plantain or false bird of paradise, is a beautiful flower with multicolour bracts like red, pink, orange, yellow and green combined with different sizes and shapes. Due to its exotic appearance and brilliant colours, it fetches premium price in the market. Leaves of some varieties of heliconia are also sold as cut leaves for flower decoration.

Botany Heliconia is a rhizomatus, perennial flowering herb in the family Heliconiaceae and order Zingiberales. Heliconia are found to be diploid with

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Floriculture Today August 2020

H. psittacorum

2n=24 chromosomes and even triploid (2n=3x=36) cultivars also found to exist. There are about 89 species under the genus Heliconia and more than 350 varieties. They form a group of plant with an erect, aerial and stem like tube composed of overlapping leaf sheaths called psuedostem.

Leaves resembles to banana and plant spread by means of a fleshy underground rhizome. Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colour ranging from pink, red, orange, yellow and different combination. Heliconia have erect or pendulas terminal inflorescence composed of two or more boat shaped bracts arising from a central axis. Stalk length range from 0.5 to 3.0 m and inflorescence size from 10 to 50 cm. Depending on variety, heliconias will range in height from two to twenty feet, often with extensive rhizomatous

H. acuminata

growth. Flowers are mostly pollinated by humming bird (Eulampis jugularis), other pollinators like bats and insects (Chrysomelids and mosquitoes).

Importance and uses v Heliconia used as a ideal cut flower because of its brilliant colour, exotic form, long straight peduncles and excellent post harvest life. v Heliconia acts as a best plant for landscaping for Creating boundaries, screening for privacy, controlling soil erosion & hiding foundations (foundation planting). v These are also used as potted plant for interior display like Heliconia psittacorum, Heliconia stricta, Heliconia angusta and cv. Golden torch. v Leaves of heliconia are used for thatching as well as food wrapping in

H. bihai

Carribean and Mexico, they are also used in flower decoration as background material. v In Brazil roots and seeds of certain varieties are used for medicinal purposes.

Types of heliconia Heliconias are broadly classified into two types namely erect heliconias which stands straight with bracts pointing up and pendent heliconias which hang with bracts pointing down.

These types can further be divided into four sub types like (Smith, 1968): v Inflorescence erect and in one plane: Heliconia aurantiaca, H. aureo striata, H. bourgaeana, H. caribaea, H. humilis, H. psittacorum and H. wagneriana. v Inflorescence erect and in more than one plane: Heliconia metallica Planchon and Linden ex Hooker and H. latispatha Bentham.

Ornamentals v Inflorescence pendant and in one plane: Heliconia rostrata Ruizet Pavon and H. catheta R. R. Smith sp. nov. var. Catheta. v Inflorescence pendant and in more than one plane: Heliconia collinsiana Griggs var. velutina and H. collinsiana Griggs var. collinsian.

Species and cultivars: Heliconia stricta: It has a beautiful inflorescence resembling lobster claws.

Flower colours are ranged from red, gold, orange, maroon and green singly or in combination. These exotic tropical flowers are ideal for small arrangements as their inflorescence range from 5’’ – 12” long and are not too heavy. H. Stricta cv. Dwarf Jamaican grows up to a height of 0.5 to 1 m.

Cultivars: Bucky, Dwarf Jamaican, First bird, Royal Tagami.

Heliconia rostrata: It is native of Peru & generally distributed in tropical America. It is commonly known as hanging lobster claws. Traditional and most recognized heliconias with magnificent pendant inflorescence of alternating bracts each 6-10 cm long, scarlet red tipped with cream

H. angusta

erect herb, typically growing 1.6 m tall, native to the South American countries of Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. It is also grown as an ornamental plant in other regions.

To meet Hawaii Fancy grade standards, inflorescences must be well developed (at least two open bracts), clean, well formed, intact, fresh, firm, well coloured, properly trimmed and free from damage caused by diseases, insects or mechanical or other means.

to yellow. The flowers are deep red tipped with cream to yellow green colour. Plant blooms throughout year.

Heliconia psittacorum: Specie is native to coast of Guyana.

The H. psittacorum (or Parrot’s beak) heliconia are small, dainty and exotically tropical and resemble the plant known commonly as Bird of Paradise.

Flower heads appear to be hand painted and glow with brilliant colours and greenish yellow flowers with black spots near apex and bloom abundantly throughout the year. The cultivar proved very productive, while Andromeda was similar but taller with more flower heads.

Cultivars: Andromeda, Lady Di, Nickeriensis, Golden torch and Sassy.

H. aruntiaca

Heliconia angusta: It is commonly called the Christmas heliconia because its red and white inflorescences usually emerge during the holiday season. Wild populations, native to southeastern Brazil, are classified as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union largely due to the conversion of their diminishing habitats for agricultural purposes.

Heliconia latispatha: It is native to Central and South America. Plant has erect inflorescence with well separated boat shaped bracts orange yellow at the base and red towards tip greenish flowers.

Heliconia aurantiaca: It is endemic to Central America south Mexico and Guatemala.

Its natural habitat is montane forests.

Heliconia bihai: It is commonly called as wild plantain or Fire bird. Flowers are greenish yellow clustered in the axils of large stiff boat shaped crimson red flattened bracts with pointed tip and arranged in two ranks on erect inflorescence.

Heliconia burleana: It is native to Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Heliconia indica: It is a foliage type of heliconia. It has fairly insignificant flowers, but often has spectacular foliage.

Soil and climate Heliconia can be grown in a wide range of soils but deep rich well pulverized and well drained loam soil is considered best. Light play a

Heliconia acuminate: It is an

H. burleana

Golden torch

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Ornamentals

H. caribae

very important role like more light intensity produces good plant growth, increased yield and flower production. Lower light intensity produces taller and week plant growth that leads to lower productivity (Broschat and Donselman, 1983). Plant grows well in a temperature of 21 – 350c.

Increasing the minimum air temp from 15 to 210c helps shoot emergence and no. of flowering stems/m2, stem length and quality is doubled in the cultivar. Shade regulation – 40-60% is best.

Propagation: Seed propagation: In tropical countries natural pollination occurs by the pollinators like humming bird and bats.

Seeds of H. psittacorum and other species will take 2-3 months for germination at a temperature of 280c. Time required for flowering in seed propagated plant will vary with the species. Smaller species – erect inflorescence will blooms in a year. Larger species – two to more years, rarely seed propagated and seeds are mostly sterile.

Vegetative propagation: Healthy rhizomes containing terminal or axillary 2 to 3 buds with an average weight of 40 g is ideal for rapid establishment.

Rhizomes with single bud

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H. clinophila

will take late development.

Rhizomes should be dipped in dilute fungicide solution before being planted in well drained soil.

Tissue culture: Multiplication of heliconias was the first problem because of the slow germination of its seeds (about three months to three years). Multiplication by rhizome (the underground stem of a heliconia) is also time-consuming and therefore hardly an alternative is to develop a protocol for tissue culture in heliconia.

Nathan et al., (1992) developed a protocol for in vitro propagation of Heliconia psittacorum by using terminal and axillary buds of rhizomes. Culture was done

H. collinsiana

on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media with some modification like 40μM BA, 150ml coconut water/l, 30g sucrose/l and 2g Gelritel. Shoot multiplication was achieved on the above medium without coconut water, but supplemented with 10μM BA. Shoot were rooted on MS basal medium and successfully acclimated to greenhouse condition.

Micropropagation of Heliconia is difficult mainly due to the high frequency of endogenous contamination.

Embryo culture techniques have been used to generate normal seedlings to be used as initial explants. Activated charcoal was essential to embryo germination from Heliconia rostrata and H. bihai (Souza et al., (2010)).

H. eden pink

H. densiflora

Spacing and planting Time of Planting: January to March is suitable for establishment of the plant to get a quick response of growth in the beginning of monsoon.

Spacing: 100 cm apart from plant to plant and row to row. If rhizomes are planted at 40 x 40 cm means the plant will produce more number of suckers in 2 years so replanting should be done for every 2 years once.

Irrigation: Watering should be done at weekly interval during dry weather in the growing season.

Manures and Fertilizers: 4 kg of FYM/m2 and 40:20:20 g NPK/m2 is given in 2split doses for better growth, yield and quality of flowers. The first dose is given at sprouting of new shoots and second at 45 days after planting i.e. suckering started.

After care: A timely weeding and pruning of scorched and older leaves should be a regular operation. As flower is monocarpic in nature once the flower is over the flower bearing shoot should be pruned to ground level to encourage lateral growth of shoots.

Ornamentals Harvesting and yield: After planting in about 6-7 months flowers can be harvested. It flowers throughout the year but higher number of flowers can be obtained during November and December months. The flowers can be harvested with peduncles of 70 cm or more with upto 20 florets per bract. Flower stalks should be cut near the ground early in the day. H. psittacorum is harvested at the stage with none, one or two open bracts. Larger heliconia can be cut when one- half to two-third of the inflorescences are blooming (Broschat and Donselman, 1983). H. Psittacorum is often shipped with one to three leaves remaining. On an average in one sq. m. area planted plants can yield 30-40 stems in first year and 60-75 stems in second year onwards.

In packing, H. psittacorum is often packed in a “metric� bunch of 10 and sleeved in plastic film or open weave netting. Up to 25 such bunches may be packed in a 150 x 50 x 25 cm box. Medium sized heliconias such as H. bihai and H. stricta may be packed 20 to 50 per box while the large H. caribaea are packed as 10 to 15 pieces. Moist or dry shredded newspaper is used as well as

H. vellarigera

The study was taken up to check the potential of heliconia as an intercrop in coconut plantation at ICAR Research Complex for Goa, Old Goa. The experiment included 25 varieties of heliconias planted as intercrop in existing 20 year old coconut plantation (Cv. Benaulim) from 2008-2012.

Planting material: Generally heliconias are propagated by suckers. Each suckers produces around 2040 side suckers in one year of planting depending on the variety. Hence, growing of heliconia for planting material is also profitable by selling each sucker between Rs. 25 to 250 depending up on the variety.

Heliconia-claw

layers of newspaper to reduce damage due to shifting during shipment.

Pest and diseases: There are no serious insect pests and diseases of Heliconia.

Aphids - It often infests flowers for feeding on the nectar. Spraying of dimethoate at 0.05% Snail - It will chew the young leaves of heliconia by scraping, making big irregular holes. Adult and young ones devour plants during nights.

Hand picking by dropping in 5% salt solution will reduce population and killing snails.

Spray of neem oil @ 10 ml/l and soap nut extract @ 60g/l protects foliage from damage.

H. wagneriana

Plant parasitic nematode viz. root knot nematode; reniform, burrowing nematode and lesion often infest heliconia.

Chemical fumigation of soil prior to planting; planting using only hot water treated or nematode free rhizomes.

The most common fungal diseases are Root rot (Phytophthora) and Stem rot (Phythium). Fungicides like Captaf, Mencozeb, Metalaxyl.

Soil Solarization is useful.

Excess moisture should be avoided.

Spacing and planting: The heliconias are fast growing plant with more number of side suckers thereby drawing water and nutrients continuously from the soil.

But for easy management and flowering, it is planted at a spacing of 1.5x1.5 m so as to accommodate 16 heliconia plants in four coconuts planted at 8x8 m spacing. Pit of 1.5-2 cubic feet are made and filled with well decomposed organic manure for better rooting. Immediately after

Leaf spot - Removed infected leaves. Foliar application of Mancozeb or Chlorothanil is effective.

Production of heliconia as inter crop in coconut

H.chartacea

H. Foreroi

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Ornamentals planting, the plants are watered thoroughly for better establishment.

Generally, it takes about 30-45 days to get the sucker to establish.

Hence periodic watering is important.

Suckering and nutrition: Suckering is the important phenomenon of heliconia.

Hence nutrition has to be maintained for better suckering and flowering.

Generally,nutrition application rates for N, P, and K of 1.2, 0.5, 0.63 kg/m2, respectively gave maximum response for a number of variables including flower weight, leaf area and all vegetative characters. These rates, in the approximate ratio of 2:1:1 applied at 3kg/ m2/ year applied in the basins of heliconia plants.

In addition to inorganic fertilizers, application of well decomposed FYM or green manure has beneficial effects on flower and sucker production in heliconia.

Flowering and harvesting: Generally heliconia starts first flowering at 6-8 months after planting depending on the variety. The performance under coconut indicated that it produced around 10-15 flowering suckers/ clump/year depending on the variety. The flowers are harvested when 3-4 bracts are already open. The flowers are cut with at least 30-45 cm long stem with leaf. If it is for long distance transport, the leaves are removed and flower spikes are properly packed in CFB boxes with cushioning material for long distance transport.

Yield and income: On an average, 600-700 plants of heliconia can be planted in one hectare of coconut plantation as inter crop. Each clump can produce 5-10 flowering suckers/clump in one year. The average price of heliconia flower ranges

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from Rs.5 to Rs.20 depending upon the variety. Hence a minimum income of around 25,000/ha to maximum of 90,000/ha can be realized depending upon the variety of heliconia planted. In addition to flower, production of sucker is an important income generation activity. The sucker production depends on the variety and it ranges from 1535 suckers per clump. Even 5-10 suckers per clump has to be periodically removed to maintain the spacing and lighting for plants. Hence, the average price of sucker is around Rs.20-50 depending upon the variety. An average of Rs.10/sucker can yield up to Rs.50, 000/ha through sale of sucker and it will be an additional income to the farmers.

Pre harvest factors: For export purpose selection of long-lasting heliconias are preferred.

Among H. psittacorum cultivars, Lady Di is reported to last 7 to 10 days while Andromeda lasts 10 to 15 days (Powell, 1991) or up to 21 days (Donselman and Broschat, 1986). Among the large heliconia, H. latispatha and H. rostrata are regarded as poor keepers with only 3 to 5 days vase life, while H. caribaea and H. wagneriana can last 15 days or more (Criley, 1990; Powell, 1991). The cutting of H. wagneriana stems base at every 48 hrs was able to improve the quality and to maintain the ornamental status, tissue colour and brightness for 18 days (Costa, et al., 2015).

Post harvest handling of heliconia: After trimming, the whole inflorescence is immersed in an insecticide dip to kill insects.

Diverse practices are used by growers and shippers.

Inflorescences are dipped for 5 minutes, and then rinsed.

Hand cleaning is necessary to dislodge insects and to

remove dead flowers. The stalks are held in water while the inflorescences dry before packing. Floral preservatives do not improve vaselife (Broschat and Donselman, 1983; Powell, 1991), but anti transpirants improve postharvest life slightly (Broschat and Donselman, 1983; Ka-ipo et al., 1989). The lack of response to preservatives may be associated with poor vascular development of the base of the flower stem, while antitranspirants and waxes provide limited response due to a failure to completely coat the bract surface.

Heliconias are sensitive to temperatures below 130C and should not be placed in cold storage (Donselman and Broschat, 1986). Cold injury develops as black spots at the base of the bracts.

As desiccation reduces postharvest life, storage conditions should maintain 90-95% humidity condition.

Small heliconias such as H. psittacorum and H. angusta are bunched (5s, 10s) and may be sleeved in plastic film or netting. Some uses plastic sleeves over the inflorescences of large heliconias to prevent bruising. Large heliconias are usually packed with moist shredded newspaper or between layers of newspaper to prevent shifting. Bunches of the smaller heliconias are packed on top of the heavier heliconias. (Criley and Paull, 1993) Grades and standards: To meet Hawaii Fancy grade standards, inflorescences must be well developed (at least two open bracts), clean, well formed, intact, fresh, firm, well coloured, properly trimmed and free from damage caused by diseases, insects or mechanical or other means.

Not more than five per cent of the heliconias in any lot may fail to meet the requirements for the fancy grade and two

per cent or fewer are allowed serious defects. Stem length, other than a minimum of 15 cm, is not otherwise a component of grade (Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture, 1972). n Authors: Assistant professor (Floriculture and Landscape Architecture), College of Horticulture, Mudigere 2 Ph.D. Scholar (Floriculture and Landscape Architecture), College of Horticulture, Bagalkot 3 Assistant professor (Floriculture and Landscape Architecture) College of Horticulture, Mudigere 1

E-mail: chandrashekar.sy@gmail.com Reference: 1.

Broschat, T. K. and Donselman, H., 1983, Production and postharvest culture of Heliconia psittacorum flowers in South Florida.

Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 96: 272-273.

2.

Costa, L. C., Costa, R. R., Ribeiro, W. S., Carneiro, G. G., Barbosa, J. A. and Finger, F. L., 2015. Postharvest Longevity of Heliconia wagneriana. Acta Horticulture. 193-200.

3.

Criley, R. A. and Paull, R. E., 1993. Review: Post harvest handling of bold tropical cut flowers-Anthurium, Alpinia purpurata, Heliconia and Strelitzia. Acta Horticulture. 201-212.

4.

Criley, R. A., 1990.

Production of heliconia as cut flowers and their potential as new potted plants. Hort.

Digest (Univ. Hawaii) 92: 1-7.

5.

Donselman, H. and Broschat, T. K., 1986, Abstract: Production of Heliconia psittacorum for cut flowers in South Florida. Heliconia Soc. Intern. 1(4): 4-6.

6.

Hawaii Department of Agriculture. 1972. Regulation No. 2, Title 4, Subtitle 4, Chapter 42. Standards for Hawaii grown flowers and foliage. Subchapter 2. Standards for grades of flowers and foliage. 4-42-8, Anthurium. 4-42-10, bird of paradise. 4-42-15, red ginger. 4-4218, heliconia. Honolulu, HI. 7.

Ka-ipo, R., Sakai, W. S., Furutani, S. C. and Collins, M., 1989.

Effect of postharvest antitranspirants on the shelf life of Heliconia psittacorum cv.

Parakeet cut flowers. Bul. Heliconia Soc. Intern. 4 (3): 13-14.

8.

Nathan, M. J., Goh, C. J. and Kumar, P. P., 1992, In Vitro propagation of Heliconia psittacorum by bud culture.

Hort Science, 27(5):450-452. 1992.

9.

Powell, J. 1991. Growing heliconias for cut flowers. N. Terr. Austrl.

Dept. Primary Ind. And Fisheries Agnote 442.

10.

Smith, R. R., 1968, A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Heliconia in Middle America, Ph. D. dissertation, University of Florida.

11.

Souz, E. H., Soares, T. L., Souza, F. V. D. and Santos-Serejo, J. A., 2010, Micropropagation of Heliconia rostrata and Heliconia bihai from mature zygotic embryos. Acta horticulturae. 315320.

Ornamentals

Loropetalum chinense

A Superb Flowering Shrub — Dr. Raiz Ahmed Lone Scientist, Floriculture and Landscape Architecture KVK, Kupwara, SKUAST-K

L

oropetalum plants are native to Japan, China and Himalayas.

Loropetalum chinense commonly known as Chinese fringe flower takes its name from the Greek word ‘loron’ meaning strap, and ‘petalon’ meaning petal belongs to family Hamamelidaceae. Its blooms are similar to those of its close relative witchhazel, with bunches of slender strap-shaped petals forming into tassel-like bursts of colour. Loropetalum are small shrubs. The exotic blooms and the deep, rich burgundy foliage make this plant an eye-catching addition to home gardens. Their flowers are spider like and white in the true species. The flower cymes are around ¾ in across and appear in profusion.

Blooms appear in March to April and last for up to two weeks on the stems. The cultivars grown have reddish or pinkish purple flowers and are scented. The odd flower can appear in the nursery on these slightly odd shrubs at any time of the year. The contrast or complementary between the red or purple foliage and the flowers makes for a pleasing effect. This can be even more dramatic in L. Chinense ‘Daybreak’s Flame’.

The planting of Loropetalum chinense is usually in fall, but if purchased in a pot or container, you can plant

in spring or summer while avoiding frost spells and days of intense heat. Loropetalum are best grown in partial shade with wind protection in fertile soil with plenty of compost added. They detest being waterlogged in a boggy area and are tolerant of drought once established. A layer of mulch around their root zones will help reduce competitive weeds and conserve moisture.

Ultimately they may achieve 4-6 feet in height with a similar spread but this takes quite a time. It is better to regard them as low mounded

semi groundcover shrubs at first. Chinese fringe plants may be pruned to keep them in shape. Remove dead/dry wood regularly, especially at the end of summer. If you must balance or reduce the branches, it’s rather better to wait for the blooming to end.

In spring, a light application of slow-release fertilizer will enhance the plant’s health.

When it’s hot watering is needed on a regular basis for Loropetalum chinense and during the first two years after planting. In winter, if it really doesn’t rain and the

ground is dry, water during the daytime and never in the evening when it isn’t freezing to ensure you’ll have proper blooming. In summer, always favour watering in the evening to keep water from evaporating.

Loropetalums can be planted in clusters and used as hedges, low screens, espaliers, border edging, foundation plantings, woodland gardens and containers. It is often recommended to thorny, red barberry shrubs and also as an alternative to azaleas for sunny areas, where azaleas can poorly perform.

Loropetalum chinense is particularly hardy to the cold, so growing it in pots is all the more possible with following precautions, v Ensure proper drainage. v Fill the pot in with good soil mix. v Provide fertilizer once a year. v Water regularly because plants in pots need water more often.

Semi-ripe new growth cuttings will root quickly with bottom heat. Loropetalum chinense is perfectly suited for small garden as its growth is very slow and even when it matures it is still quite small.

It is also quite invulnerable to diseases and parasites which make it an easy tree to care for.

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Floriculture

success story praised in holland

T

he ongoing Covid-19 crisis over the last four and a half months has taken a huge toll on the entire Floriculture industry worldwide, including India. “Our farmer friends had just started recovering from their losses caused by the use of artificial plastic flowers, but now this pandemic worldwide has hit them hard”, says Dr. Bhagyashree Patil, Chairperson & MD of Rise n’ Shine Group of Companies, Pune, India. Over the last months, this Indian tissue culture plant material producer company is doing their utmost best to bring the situation near to normal by organizing several webinars and bringing the industry together to overcome this. While hoping for better days, their farmers started replanting. “Success is all about growing together with others” they say and they are therefore also proud to announce that they are now member of the World Flower Council.

Pandemic affecting the chain The modern floriculture

Rose plot at Rise n’ Shine with Dr. Bhagyashree Patil

industry is a global web of businesses comprising breeders, propagators, growers, exporters, shippers, importers, wholesalers, and distributors that operate in an inter-dependent manner to bring all-year-round products to a huge number of consumers around the world. And according to Dr. Bhagyashree Patil, because of this interdependence that the worldwide floriculture industry has been one to experience the greatest impact of the COVID-19 crisis since mid-March.

Carnation planting at Om Sri Sai Flowers Bangalore

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Floriculture Today August 2020

So how is the situation in India? “Like we have seen in other countries and what we are still seeing in India is that growers are grappling with excess supplies of their products as their harvests cannot get to their intended customers due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Production and harvests are further being disrupted as lockdowns and restrictions on movement obstruct transportation, labour, and demand.”

Many Indian families impacted The floriculture industry is a major employer in the rural parts of India. “Many semiskilled, unskilled labourers have been employed in farms who earn a livelihood for their families. Hard decisions are to be made everywhere. In the major production areas in India, growers have to balance the cost of securing the livelihoods of their employees while maintaining the productive capacity of plants in the ground for the future, all from significantly reduced income.”

Efforts to bring the situation near to normal At Rise n’ Shine they are doing their utmost best to support the families in need and to bring the situation near to normal.

“We have always believed in supporting the people who have helped the floriculture industry flourish through their contribution, even in the toughest of times. So, to help our floriculture growers and farmers in this time of need, we are trying our best to bring the

Rise n’ Shine distributing flowers to COVID warrior doctors

Floriculture situation near to normal.”

In the past few months, they did a couple of webinars to update farmers and growers about the current situation, considered their opinion in resolving the problems, and approached a couple of government authorities for help.

“Our recent webinar was with the Hon. Dadasaheb Bhuse (Minister for Agriculture, Ex-servicemen welfare, Govt of Maharashtra), Hon Satej Patil (Minister of State for Home, Housing, Transport, Information and Technology, Parliamentary Affairs, ExServiceman welfare, Govt of Maharashtra), Hon Vishwajeet Kadam (Minister of State for Cooperation, Agriculture Social Justice, Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Minorities Development), and Aukaf.

Marathi language Govt. of Maharashtra, Govind Gangaram Hande (Ex.Technical officer Export Commissionerate of Agriculture Maharashtra Pune).

Many renowned growers from all over Maharashtra and India attended their webinar.”

As transportation has been a large issue, Rise n’ Shine also helped many growers in delivering flowers directly to temples. Few were also sent to all the COVID-19 Front Line Warriors in hospitals to boost their morale and to express our gratitude. “While words always grant encouragement, we are

On the left: Gerbera planting at Om Sri Sai Flowers Bangalore, to the right: Gerbera Flowering at Mr Guman Singh Tomer plot Dehradun Uttarakhan recently

happy that our flowers got a smile on their face!”

Replanting started Rise n’ Shine’s Indian growers have now started replanting while staying strong and believing that better days will arrive sooner.

“Our esteem grower from Bangalore, Srikanth Bollapally, for example, has planted 6 acres each of carnation and gerbera, while a few more products like strawberry plantation are in the pipeline. He is truly a great leader and drives other people to achieve success. Srikant leads through example and we are grateful for his initiative taken for the new plantation that motivates others.

This will not only influence others but also give them the courage to take the right step on time.”

And more of their growers

Recent Orchid plantation at Palghar near Mumbai during Covid pandemic

across the country continued or started growing again.

“From Dehradun, for example, Uttrakhand, Guman Singh Tomer’s plot has beautiful fresh produce ready for the market now. From Palghar, near Mumbai, our growers Ramchandra Save, Prakash Raut and Udayan Save have planted 4 acres of Orchid.

Great efforts will surely give good returns.”

Joining hands Dr. Bhagyashree Patil is happy to see that the Indian floriculture industry is joining forces. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. We therefore feel very proud to share that in India, many regional floriculture communities have joined hands and have come together to overcome this

time of adversity and emerge stronger than ever by supporting one another. The motive is: Do not lose hope at all as we will always find a solution together to overcome such difficult times.”

With the motto: Wisdom equals knowledge plus courage, Indian floriculturists have taken a positive step to overcome this pandemic. “Many small farmers in villages have joined hands with each other and formed cluster farming together. They know what to do and when to do for a bumper harvest.”

Banana Tissue Culture Planting Besides the floriculture industry, Rise n’ Shine is also active in the horticulture industry and they are happy to see that their Banana Tissue culture planting as well as the exports resumed with great speed. “We are successfully exporting our exagar and hardened Banana plants to many countries like Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Vietnam, Ghana, Morocco, Uganda, and Japan.”

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much “Success is all about growing together with others. Rise n’ Shine is ready to help the entire floriculture as well as horticulture family in India and worldwide.

Let’s together flourish our world once again!”

Courtesy: FloralDaily

Banana plant in polyhouse

August 2020

Floriculture Today 17

Floriculture

Décor Your Soul Making Happy Customers — Kishore Rajhans Director, KF Bioplants Pvt. Ltd.

F

loriculture has been the essence of decorating & beautifying the world since ages! The roots can be traced back to the time of 1500 BC wherein the ancient paintings from Egypt depicting the lotus ponds surrounded by symmetrical rows of acacias and palms. Egyptians loved to decorate their homes for aesthetic purposes. They associated trees and gardens

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Floriculture Today August 2020

with the Gods and Goddesses believing that the deities were pleased by gardens. Among the most popular species planted were date palms, sycamores, fir trees, nut trees, and willows. These gardens were the sign of higher socioeconomic status too. Roses, Poppies, Daisies and Irises could all also be found in the gardens of the Egyptians. In the Middle Ages too, the idea

of gardening flourished in Europe and other parts of the world. Soon, different types of gardens like Persian garden, Islamic/Mughal gardens, and English gardens started taking shape and later on various marvels of these garden types came into existence. In our culture too, Tulsi plant finds its place in every household which shows our association with plants religiously and

medicinally.

With time, use of flowers and plants at household level enlarged and people started buying ornamental and flowering plants to décor their homes. Flowers and plants not only give the aesthetic look, but it generates a sense of connection with the nature. It helps to bring peace, harmony and happiness in our homes. The concept of gardening has evolved over the years and has undergone various transformations and innovations. The need to connect with nature; in the hustle-bustle of the city, has gained momentum and the urge is never before due to the pandemic now!

Covid19 pandemic has halted the rat race and explored the phenomenon of biophilia hypothesis. This crazy and complex situation of covid19 has taken the floriculture industry for a toss.

With complete uncertainty of large social gatherings, weddings, temple visits etc.; the commercial cut-flower growing is under pressure.

People will not be coming out of home unless necessary and therefore KF Bioplants is seeing an opportunity for flowering and fruiting pot plants as a “blessings in disguise”! We are exploring the promotion of large assortment of Calla Lily,

Floriculture unique genetics of Gerbera like Garvinea, Pomponi, Fireworx, Mini and fruiting plants of Strawberries. KF Bioplants has a stunning showcasing at their premises. Many nursery men have visited this and has found it encouraging for the retail pot plant sector. We are conceptualizing the pot plant idea as a home décor!

“Add Vitality to your life!” is an appeal to our citizens.

We are receiving phenomenal response from the citizens of Pune and Mumbai. Very soon we will be reaching out to various Metro Cities of the country. Especially our Gerbera Garvinea series is enjoying the centre place in the home décor! The flowering pots are the best gifts for any occasion since it establishes the strong “Social Bonding” which is of paramount importance in the period of “Social Distancing”!

At KF Bioplants, we are not only promoting and selling the plants but also

giving simple but effective tips to take care of these plants for its grand performance.

For more information; you can request our team for DIY PPTs, technical videos, and much more!

We believe the Earth laughs in flowers and a happy home resonates with vibrant flowers!

August 2020

Floriculture Today 19

Remedial Values

Medicinal Uses of Rose — Sweta Kumari and Aditi Guha Choudhury

Rose is a beautiful and fragrant flower that has inspired many a poem of love and romance. There are several species of roses known to the mankind, which are of various shapes, sizes and colours. However it has more to offer than beauty. Other than its use in aesthetic purpose several commercial Rose products such as rose oil, rose water, Rose essence, rose tea and processed rose products are available in market. The essential oil present in rose are enriched with a wide range of phytochemicals like flavonoids, vitamins, minerals etc. Hence, rose oil shows anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, anti-spasmodic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, diuretic, aphrodisiac, cicatrizing, depurative, emmenagogue, and sedative effect.

T

he rose has been bestowed as the queen of the flowers, for their aesthetic value since ancient times. There are climbers, ramblers, shrub roses, miniatures, garden kinds such as hybrid teas’ floribundas and many more. The flowers might be single or double in white, red, pink, orange and yellow etc.

Rose is a beautiful and fragrant flower that has inspired many a poem of love and romance. However it has more to offer than beauty. Due to the presence of medicinal properties, it can be called as medicinal herb. It is reported

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Floriculture Today August 2020

that until the 1930s they were still regarded as an official medicine by doctors for both internal and topical treatments.

There are some varieties of roses that are commercially cultivated for essential oil and rose water production; viz., Rosagallica, Rosa centifolia and Rosa damascena. Rosa canina is utilized for isolation of rose hip oil. A range phytochemicals such as flavonoids, fruit sugars (Including fructose, glucose, and maltose), a wide range of amino acids, essential oils including citronellol, geraniol, eugenol, nerol and phenyl ethanol etc are present in rose oil. Other than that vitamins A,

B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B9 (nicotinic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (also known as niacin or Vitamin H), B9 (folic acid) C, D, E, and K and minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, sodium, copper, iodine, chromium, nickel are also present. Tannins and a wide range of enzymes assist in digestion process.

Rosa rugosa flowers to help regulate the liver and spleen meridians and Rosa laevigata hips to tonify the kidney, spleen and lung meridians in Chinese folk medicine.

The rose hips mostly used in the west are from Rosa

canina (Dog rose) and the petals of Rosa centifolia, Rosa damascena or Rosa gallica are used medicinally. Due to its astringent properties, it is useful for treating diarrhoea.

The parts used are usually the flowers or the seed heads or hips and can be used in a number of ways, either fresh or dried. Some of the commercial rose products are described hereunder.

Rose products 1. Essential oil - It is highly expensive and one of the least toxic of all the essential oils. It consists of a range of volatile oils viz.,

Remedial Values geraniol, nerol, citronellol, farnesol, linalool, Limonene, 1-p-menthene, myrcene, pinene, rose oxide, tannins, organic acids, beta-carotene, cyanin, resin and waxes.

The constituents vary with different rose species.

Rose Essential oil along with carrier oils such as almond or grape fruit is used to treat illnesses viz., haemorrhage, liver problems, nausea, fatigue, ulcers, asthma, dehydration, and bacterial infections of the stomach, colon, and urinary tract.

Bulgarian Rose oil is used as a skin remedy.

2. Rose water - Rose petals are mainly used in rose oil production through steam distillation. The by-product of steam distillation is rose water, an excellent relaxing agent that soothes the nerves and used as a flavouring agent in several products across the world. It cures dry scaly skin, dermatitis, and eczema. Rose water prepared from rose leaves relieves constipation, purifies blood, treat measles and chicken pox.

3. Rose essence - Rose essence is rich in flavanoids, tannins, antioxidants, and vitamins A, B3, C, D and E; specially relieves stress and depression. It is excellent in skin care.

4. Edible processed products - Rose Summer Drinks, Rose Jam or Rosehip marmalade and Rosepetal Jelly are some of the popular preserves of roses.

5. Rose Tea – The tea prepared from rose petals, leaves, hips (The flowers which have swollen to

seed) or combinations can assists in reducing a fever.

It effectively detoxifies and reduces skin rashes too. Due to presence of flavonoids in rose tea, it cleanses the gall bladder, liver, alleviates mild sore throats, fever-related rashes, relieves chest and bronchial congestion etc.

It improves bile secretion and immune system. Rose hip tea is an excellent source of vitamins. It is also enriched in A, B3, C, D, and E, citric acid, antioxidant like flavonoids, fructose, sucrose, xylose, malic acid, tannins and zinc. Thus taken in the form of tea are effective to cure bladder infections and diarrhoea.

Medicinal uses of rose 1. Antidepressant Flavonoids present in rose plant possess antidepressant qualities.

The rose extract is scientifically proven to reduce the amyloid B, which is the pathological cause of Alzheimer disease.

Presence of eugenol and geraniol influences antiepileptic effects.

2. Effects against heart problems and HIV There were few chemical compounds identified in rose (Rosa damascene) Kaempferol 1 as well as 3-O-B-D-glucopyranoside 3 and 6 showed excellent anti-activity against HIVinfections.

3. Improves digestive system - It relieves nausea and help rejuvenate damaged intestinal walls and effectively cure digestive disorders viz., gastroenteritis and gastric ulcers. Infusions of dried rose petals are consumed after meals to

aid digestion. Tinctures from rose flower petals are used to cure diarrhea or sluggish digestion.

4. Improves respiratory system - The respiratory benefits include treatment of asthma, coughs and hay fever. Rosehip syrup is a very effective cough.

5. Improves reproductive system - When combined with other herbs, they are used to treat irregular or heavy menstruation.

Rose is traditionally used to treat reproductive disorders and strongly affect irregular menses, leucorrhoea, uterine disorders and cramps.

Flower decoctions are taken with motherwort to reduce heavy menstrual flow.

6. Anti-inflammatory effect - Compresses soaked in dry flower infusions make a good anti-inflammatory

remedy for the eyes or any other inflamed area of the body and applied to relieve headaches. Gargle with petal infusions alone or combined with sage, are used against sore throats.

7. The rose oil also shows antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, anti-bacterial, antifungal, diuretic, aphrodisiac, cicatrizing, depurative, emmenagogue, and sedative effect.

8. It is also improves the function of heart, liver, uterus and stomach. n Authors: Sweta Kumari1 and Aditi Guha Choudhury2 1 Assistant Professor cum Junior Scientist, Department of Floriculture, Landscape Architecture (Flower Breeding), Horticulture College, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India 2 Assistant Professor cum Junior Scientist, Department of Fruit Science (Fruit Breeding), Horticulture College, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

August 2020

Floriculture Today 21

Inauguration

Hosur International Auction Centre Inaugurated

by CM of Tamilnadu

A

decade old dream of Hosur Floriculture farmers has come true in 2019 – 2020.

Honourable Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, E. Palaniswamy inaugurated the project by laying foundation on the 15th July 2020.

Around the year 2010, flowers growing area in Krishnagiri District increasedvastly and rapidly picking up exports market sharply. However, about 95% of the exports continue to happen through middlemen and farmers didn’trealize proper value for their produce.

Farmers arrived at a point where an auction centre like IFAB–Bengaluru will help to overcome the challenges.

Since demonetization, floriculture industry has slowed down and farmers started sending requestletters to the State Horticulture

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Floriculture Today August 2020

Department and also to the government through media to help to revive the industry.

From 2018, Krishnagiri floriculture farmers conducted regular monthly meetings and arrived at an action plan.

In 2019, farmers met exminister Balakrishna Reddy requestingan auction market in Hosur. He supportedand directed to Horticulture and Agribusiness departments to analyse the request.With the help of Mrs. Ramanageetha, Agri Finance and Agri Marketing, a DPR was finalised and submitted to the department.

Krishnagiri District Collector Prabakar IAS and JD Horticulture TC Kannan analysedDPR and forwarded to Tamilnadu Agriculture Principal SecretaryGagandeep Singh Bediand to Chiru, Agriculture Marketing Board.

The project location has been identified in Marasandiram village, Chennai – Bangalore highway which is about 7km from Hosur with excellent road connectivity.The same was reviewed and finalised by group of government officers, engineers and farmers.

Meanwhile, respected MP

Rajyashaba - KP Muniswamy, strongly recommend to Tamilnadu government to approve this project in the state assembly. Finally, the project was approved in 2019 budget under rule number 110.

We farmers heartfully thank everyone who has been instrumental in getting the project approval. In addition, Venkatachalam - District Councillor has been a great support from the beginning till date. Farmer representativesBala Shivaprasath (Director NHB), Ramu, Chinna Abbiya along with few other farmers the dream has come true.

Yet again it has been proved that Unity is Strength.

Project details: Total Land Area: 7.68 Acres Project Cost: 20.20 Crores HIAC will be the first project in India to auction flowers online and offline. The project includes auction hall, cold storages, pre cooling unit, grading hall, refer vans, solar power and many advance technologies built-in. HIAC can handle 5 lakh flowers per day. The construction work is in progress and expected to be completed by 2021. n

August 2020

Floriculture Today 23

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Floriculture Today August 2020

August 2020

Floriculture Today 25

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August June 2020

Floriculture Today 27

Floriculture

Flower Jewellery

A Profitable Agro-Business — Deepti Singh, Mayapriya and Chandani

F

loricultural trade is, one of the challenging agrobusiness, which due to highly perishable nature is based on the pillars of indepth knowledge, patience, creative skill and hard work.

This agro-business fetches higher returns, if standard agro-techniques, consumer’s preference and proper market intelligence are taken into account. In present scenario, fresh flowers are often neglected in terms of quality production and postharvest management. These constraints can be overcome by flower conversion into value added fresh flower products like bouquets, corsages, wreaths, button hole, garlands, hair adornments and flower jewellery. Among various fresh flower products, flower jewellery is a new emerging product with high domestic market demand.

Flower jewellery is extremely attractive and can be easily designed with matching colour and pattern of the outfit.

Along with their unique and novel designs, it creates a good fondness among people. It is available in diverse colours and styles. Agro-business of

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Floriculture Today August 2020

flower jewellery is a solution of removing market glut and earning more profit. The online business would create direct grower-consumer linkage in terms of better understanding of consumer likings, more returns and timely delivery of quality product at consumer’s doorstep.

Nowadays, people are prone to various skin problems especially skin allergy and prefer natural jewellery against imitation jewellery. Flower jewellery is mostly used in immemorial pre-weddings functions like Haldi and Mehandi ceremony, where the bride is the centre of attraction for her outfit and jewellery. Real flower jewellery adds a soft and feminine quotient and gives a break from all the gold and silver monotonous jewellery along with tensionless minds against theft of precious jewellery in crowdy ceremonies. Flower jewellery is made in such a way that if kept proper management, lasts for such duration from which people get the value of their money. The floral jewellery covers bracelets, Maangtika, Hath Phool, Kamarband,

Bajuband, hair accessories, necklace, earrings, floral hairstyles, floral half Dupatta, anklets, finger rings and with other endless options. These provide an ultra refreshing look on wearing due to their attractive look, eco-friendly nature and aroma. Longer way of wearing floral jewellery is adorning jewellery made out of dried flowers as it can be preserved overtime and used as per the convenience. One can get entire floral jewellery customized as per the theme of the occasion to wear. It also reflects the image and likings of a person and thus should be selected with much care.

Flower jewellery could be a best option for expressing love to female members of your family on special occasions like valentine day, mother day or other ceremonies in form of gifts and honour. It makes the day as well as the person extraordinary, cheerful,

healthier and happier. This also gives a priceless feeling showing that the person who is gifting flower jewellery has spent a good amount of time looking for the perfect gift and the person receiving them holds a special place in their life.

Flower jewellery after use, could be used in decoration, crafts or in making minor jewels like rings and earrings.

Moreover flower petals can be dried for making cards, book mark or other products as a mark of remembrance. Even on drying it can be used as air fresheners in the house or arranged beautifully in a bowl or glass. Flowers jewellery at the end of the day, make everybody happy and, therefore should be enjoyed with the people you love and care.

For centuries, flowers have played an important role in the wedding. From the venue

Floriculture

decorations to the wedding garland, these fresh and aromatic flowers have always been the part of the Indian wedding. But while choosing flower jewellery one should consider few points in mind: v Flower jewellery should be chosen as per the colour of wearing outfit, flower availability and individual preference. v For specific designs, meeting should be planned accordingly for stunning look in celebrations. v One should keep in mind the time of ordering this jewellery that the delivery dates should be a day or two before the ceremony. v Flower jewellery are available in wide range of styles, colours and designs.

So, besides usual sets of this jewellery, if some extraordinary jewellery required then order and demand should be given at least one month in advance. v Strings chosen for making flower jewellery should be strong enough to bear the weight of tied flowers. v Strings should be left with extra length for tying or loosening the jewellery. v Flower should be tied properly with the string so that it may sustain the flower design and beauty for a longer time.

v Usually, choosing smaller flowers helps in creating jewellery with fine work. v Small flowers in flower jewellery avoids tear and wear maintain the beauty of the jewellery. v Miniature rose, tuberose florets, jasmine, small sized carnations and orchids are the best options for making chain, bangles, finger ring and anklets with finer designs, whereas big flowers can be used for making Maangtika, pendant or big earrings. v Big flowers used in flower jewellery should be hardy with less moisture content. v For getting quality flower jewellery, one should keep them in moist cloth under refrigerated condition. v One can store flower jewellery in the refrigerator up to three

days with proper care and management.

Flower jewellery as a agro-business: This is a very easy and simple technique to learn agro-business for the group of people including uneducated rural people, provided the minds are filled with creativity, patience, hard work and enthusiasm. This is a very low input agro-business which can be started with a very less basic requirement of strong thread and needle, fresh buds of small flowers like Mogra, crystal stones, wooden beads, crystal ringed beads can opt with available ones, earring hooks, glue gun, marigold or other such bigger flowers (optional), scissors, ribbon and other minor requisition.

Women empowerment through flower jewellery agrobusiness is one of the good option in which for national market, fresh flower jewellery

Fresh flowers are often neglected in terms of quality production and post-harvest management.

These constraints can be overcome by flower conversion into value added fresh flower products like bouquets, corsages, wreaths, button hole, garlands, hair adornments and flower jewellery

can be supplied whereas for international market, dry flower jewellery in the form of earrings, pendant set and other items can be exported.

Usually prices of floral jewellery vary from Rs.500 to Rs. 5000 in domestic market, but depending on the fine art of extraordinary jewellery the prices may double also.

Average price for, flower jewellery set for Haldi, baby shower or Mehandi consisting necklace, earrings, bracelet, Maangtika is approximately Rs. 500 to 700, white and pink floral Haldi ceremony bridal jewellery set is approximately Rs 1000, elegant wedding jewellery flower forehead garland bracelet bridal accessories is approximately Rs. 2000 and for extraordinary jewellery set ranges from Rs. 5000 to 10000. This is one of the easy to start agrobusiness with untapped potential which with proper skill oriented trainings and awareness programs would surely change the present floricultural scenario and living styles of producers.

Through this agri-business one would surely build money as well as confidence in their day to day life. n Authors: Deepti Singh, Mayapriya and Chandani Department of Horticulture (Vegetable and Floriculture) Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar

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Floriculture Today 29

Remedial Values

Delicate and Fragrant

Lady of the Night A Medicinal Gift

— M. J. Anitha Sri

C

estrum nocturnum is a garden shrub from the family Solanaceae, commonly known as “lady of the night” which is used as a remedy for different health disorders. This sprawling shrub has glossy simple leaves, vine like stems, greenishcreamy white tubular flowers and fleshy berries. The berries are marfil white or aubergine in colour. The species name ‘nocturnum’ refers to the species habit of opening its small, heavily-scented flowers at night. The flowers release powerful sweet perfume at night. It is made into rare attar (raat ki rani) which is used in Indian and Middle East perfumery. It is said to be the world’s strongest smelling plant. Indeed the scent can reach up to 165 feet away from the location of plant.

The genus name Cestrum is thought to be derived from the Greek word ‘kestron’, for similarity to a plant of that name, or ‘kestrum’, a tool used for engraving, which the plant’s anthers resemble. Like several other members of the Cestrum genus, C. nocturnum is of Neotropical origin.

While night blooming jasmine is a gorgeous plant with charming blooms, the scent also produces severe allergic reactions in some individuals.

History It is believed that night

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Floriculture Today August 2020

regions of the world.

World scenario C. nocturnum is cultivated in China, Hong Kong, Iraq, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Mexico, USA, West Indies and India.

Indian Scenario It is cultivated in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

blooming jasmine was originated in Central America, although some sources report the species to be native to the Antilles West Indies. It was reported for Puerto Rico in 1881 by Bello Espinosa that although night blooming jasmine is common on the island, it does not seem to be native there. Schulz in 1909 reported the same for

Caribbean, Haiti and Jamaica.

Early specimens of the species in the Smithsonian US National Herbarium include a specimen collected in Puerto Rico in 1885. It now grows in all parts of the world as an ornamental plant.

Geographical distribution It is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical

The species name ‘nocturnum’ refers to the species habit of opening its small, heavilyscented flowers at night. The flowers release powerful sweet perfume at night.

Impact on ecosystem Cestrum nocturnum has a negative impact on native ecosystems due to its invasive traits. It reproduces profusely through seeds, which are small and easily transported through soil movement, flooding and vegetation dumping leading to formation of dense impenetrable thickets that crowd out native flora.

Prevention and Control of uncontrolled growth-Small plants and seedlings can be hand pulled all year round and left on site to rot down; since stems can re-sprout and re-infestation can occur through the seed bank, cleared sites should be replanted to prevent re-growth. Cutting and joining the cut surface with a herbicide solution can be done all year round. Good control using triclopyr ester at 20% in crop oil applied to basal

Remedial Values bark, with C. nocturnum being sensitive to foliar applications of triclopyr.

Cultivation Climate: C. nocturnum thrives in moist or wet forests, dense low-land forests and is commonly cultivated in gardens. It does not tolerate frost and drought. Optimal growth occurs at about 80˚F. Though night blooming jasmine blooms in night, it requires at least 6 hours of sunlight and partial shade every day to bloom. However excessive sun exposure causes leaves to wilt.

Soil: It grows best in average to moist soil that is light and sandy with a neutral pH of 6.6 to 7.5, and hardy to hardiness zone 8. It can adapt to a variety of soil types and conditions, but has low salt and water-logging tolerance.

C. nocturnum can be fertilized biweekly with a weak dilution of seaweed and fish emulsion fertilizer.

Altitude: C. nocturnum grows well at low-to-mid elevations. In Nicaragua the species occurs between 40 and 1000 m. In Antioquia, Colombia, the species has been reported for elevations of 1000-1500 m. In Madagascar, the species grow in between 1500 and 1999 m in humid to sub-humid climate.

In Panama, the species has been observed both at elevations below 100 m and above 2500 m.

Propagation The easy and cost effective method of propagation of night blooming jasmine is by

sowing seeds. Seeds are few and encased in white berries which have 8-10 mm diameter.

They are produced after 18 months of establishment and can remain dormant in the soil for many years. Soaking of seed in water for 24 hours improves germination. The species also propagates readily through cuttings of roots and stems.

Uses Medicinal uses v In traditional medicine, leaves of Cestrum nocturnum have been used for their pharmacological significance in burns and swellings. v It is also used for treating epilepsy. v Pharmacological studies on the plant proved that the leaves have significant analgesic and bactericidal activity. v The volatile oil is known to be mosquito-repellent and hence C. nocturnum is used to prevent malaria in several African Nations. v Local anaesthetic effect, inhibitory effect on central nervous system and cardiac arrthymic effect of plant are also documented. v N-butanol and polysaccharide extracts from C. nocturnum has tumor inhibition ability.

Traditional uses v Cestrum nocturnum flowers are presented as offerings to Shiva and Ganesh in Kathmandu. v Napalese shamans create ritual incense from the leaves and fresh flowers, eat the fresh flowers and smoke them when dried to increase the spiritual

Volatile oils of C. nocturnum S. No

Volatile oils

1.

Benzaldehyde

2.5

2.

Linalool

3.1

3.

Benzyl alcohol

2.4

4.

Phenylacetaldehyde

2.4

5.

Benzyl acetate

1.8

6.

Cis jasmine

2.1

7.

Phenol

1.6

8.

Methyl jasmonate

1.5

9.

1,8 cineole

1.4

10.

Borneol

1.3

11.

Eugenol

1.3

12.

Linalyl acetate

1.2

13.

Citronellyl propionate

1.1

14.

α-Phellandrene

9.2

15.

β-Phellandrene

12.1

16.

(E)-β-ocimene

9.1

healing energies. v The plant is also used as a stupefying charm medicine in West Indies. v The Yucatec Maya use C. nocturnum leaves and flowers in hot baths as a treatment for night sweats. v The plant is occasionally added to liquor in Kalinchok, a region north of Kathmandu.

Side effects People with respiratory sensitivities or asthma; have reported difficulty in breathing, irritation of the nose and throat, headache, nausea, or other symptoms when exposed to the blossom’s powerful scent. Some Cestrum species contain chlorogenic acid, and the presence of this potent sensitizer is responsible for this effect in C. nocturnum.

Ingesting plant parts especially fruit results in elevated temperature, rapid pulse, excess salivation, gastritis, hallucinations, nervous

Percentage (%)

irritability, tachycardia and paralysis.

Conclusion Night blooming jasmine is a fragrant plant with multifaceted medicinal properties like antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, hypoglycemic, antimalarial, antiepileptic, cytotoxic, analgesic, anti -inflammatory, anti-HIV, hepato-protective, antipyretic and wound healing effect.

In addition night blooming jasmine is also used as an ornamental plant due to its showy and fragrant white flowers. The leaves of C. nocturnum are used in Chinese folk medicine for the treatment of burns and swellings, being applied externally. n Author: M. J. Anitha Sri, Ph.D Scholar, Community Science College and Research Institute, TNAU, Madurai

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Pandemic

Nature Bloom in pandemic Gloom — Jagreeti Gupta

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Floriculture Today August 2020

“

when we wake up in the morning, there is no noise of vehicles, industries and we only catch the beautiful sounds of nature creations like the chirping of birds, feel cold and fresh air free from pollutants, but we have to enjoy this from our balcony only

“

ndia is the home to 21 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities, but recently the air pollution level is dropping down.

As we all know that Covid-19 has become a pandemic in India as well as in most countries of the world. Except for a few countries, all are facing the outbreak of this deadly virus. The world is battling with a virus that has taken the lives of many. In the meantime, when the curfew is imposed in India and human activities have slow down, only one positive outcome that can be seen is nature is prospering and is healing itself. The ecosystem has found its way to heal.

Due to lockdown, air quality is improved. The AQI (Air Quality Index) is an index for reporting daily air quality.

As per the data given on the site of the centralpollution control board, graphs were drawn, showing a decrease in AQI of polluted cities. Many peoples in polluted cities start saying that they have not seen such blue skies for the past ten years.

River water quality is also improved as human activities have slow down and reduction in the dumping of industrial waste into rivers. Experts say the water quality of Ganga and Yamuna rivers have improved especially around the industrial cluster, since the enforcement of the lockdown. Even water has become potable in upper cities along the Ganga like Rishikesh and Haridwar.

Nowadays, when we wake up in the morning, there is no noise of vehicles, industries and we only catch the beautiful sounds of nature creations like the chirping of birds, feel cold and fresh air free from pollutants, but we have to enjoy this from our balcony only. We have to live in harmony with nature.

pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis.

He said humanity was placing too many pressures on the natural world with damaging consequences and warned that failing to take care of the planet meant not taking care of ourselves. Other environmental impacts, such as the Australian bushfires and the swarm of the worst locust outbreak in East Africa and Pakistan, also happened recently. In all of these events, nature is sending us a message. To prevent further outbreaks, the experts said, both global heating and the destruction of the natural world have to end, as both drive wildlife into contact with people.

I hope this situation will end soon, and life gets back to normal. Stay safe and strong! n

According to the ‘UN’s environment chief, Inger Andersen, Nature is sending us a message with the coronavirus

Author: Jagreeti Gupta, Ph.D, Assistant Professor Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry College of Horticulture and Forestry, Neri, Hamirpur (HP)

Innovation

Control Dekk celebrates 7 years of innovation

“There’s got to be a better way to water hanging baskets”

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ontrol Dekk, a greenhouse automation company based in western Michigan, celebrates seven years of their Oasis system, which is their innovative hanging basket irrigation technology.

What started in 2013 with the simple statement – “There’s got to be a better way to water hanging baskets” – has since grown into proven technology that’s revolutionizing the way modern and conscientious greenhouses grow and water hanging baskets.

Proven Technology “We’ve had people come to us from all perspectives – from the excited early adopters to the ones who really vetted us to the ones who stood back waiting for Oasis to prove itself,” shares Len Logsdon, Control Dekk’s Greenhouse Automation Engineer. “Across the board, though, we’ve been able to help all kinds of businesses and growers use Oasis to their advantage and to see for them what a gamechanger the Oasis system is. That’s what keeps us excited and committed to producing a product that takes hanging basket irrigation to the next level.”

Simple and Effective The Oasis system operates on the simple premise of water hanging baskets by

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Oasis, and we’re not going to stop there.”

weight rather than by time.

Traditional systems involving countless tabs and switches, watering by time, and resulting in uneven crops and wasted water can cause growers more time and more headaches.

The Oasis system is changing that by watering baskets to growers’ ideal basket weight with one module that’s easily installed on new or existing Echo, Boomerang, or FormFlex lines. The simplicity of the system along with its efficacy has growers not just excited

but eager to implement Oasis as much as they can.

Brad Wolf, CEO and grower at Green Valley Greenhouse in Minnesota, said, “We gave Oasis a try on four lines and then did an entire new addition with it.

Once we saw how the system worked in a broad capacity and how we could set it up the way we wanted it, we really started seeing the return on investment. Two years after starting with those first four lines, we’re up to 86 lines on

Growing Strong The Oasis system has gone from watering baskets in a handful of greenhouses in Michigan during its prototype phase to watering over 1 million hanging baskets in 2019 alone. The growth hasn’t stopped there. Greenhouses across the United States and now even in Canada are catching wind of the irrigation technology that delivers on being simple, straightforward, and impressively accurate.

Control Dekk was founded in 2013 by brothers and growers Jordan and Jared Dekker along with Len Logsdon, a controls engineer with decades of experience in developing and troubleshooting automation technologies. Utilizing Len’s experience and knowledge, the Oasis system was developed to help save grower’s time and stress and to produce more consistent quality hanging basket crops.

Cultivate’20 Virtual Control Dekk exhibited at online event Cultivate’20 Virtual where they showcased their Oasis system. The live event is over, but the Cultivate’20 Virtual platform is still accessible till September 1st.

n

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Flower Decoration

Ayodhya decorated with nearly 400 quintals of flowers About 600 kg of red and pink roses, 240 kg gerbera, 300 kg carnations and orchids from Thailand were brought — Sudeepa Ghosh

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yodhya was decorated with nearly 400 quintals of flowers for the ‘bhumi pujan’ of the Ram temple.

The blue ‘aparajita’ or Vishnukanta flowers, that are grown in the rural parts of

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Bengaluru, were brought in to the holy city for the muchawaited occasion.

The double-toned marigolds in orange and red were brought in from Kolkata, while orchids were imported from Thailand.

About 600 kg of red and pink roses, 240 kg gerbera and 300 kg carnations were also brought in to adorn the venue of the bhumi pujan and also the adjoining temples.

“Nearly 400 quintals of flowers are used to decorate

the ‘bhumi pujan’ site.

Ayodhya and the temples will wear a festive look - the kind never seen before,” said Prem Nath, who was overseeing flower decorations on the ‘bhumi pujan’ site and the makeshift Ram temple.

Flower Decoration

According to Prem Nath, flowers were brought also to make ‘rangoli’ at more than 50 spots in the holy city by the students from Ram Manohar Lohia Faizabad University.

“The aparajita flowers gave a blue shade to the rangolis,” he said.

Flower decorators decorated the stretch between Saket PG College, where the Prime Minister landed, to the Nayaghat area.

The occassion was held on 5th August, 2020.

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Houseplants

Indoor Plants A True Heaven

— Ravi Savaliya

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ny plant grown indoors, typically in a container can be termed as indoor plants or houseplants. There are three groups of houseplants: foliage, flowering, and cactus and succulents.

Over the past twenty years houseplants have grown in popularity. Offered in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colours and textures, houseplants beautify our homes and help soften our environment. They have been scientifically proven to improve our health by lowering blood pressure and removing pollutants from the air we breathe. When selecting a houseplant, choose reputable suppliers who specialize in growing houseplants. Get off to a good start by thoroughly examining each plant. Watch for brown edges and spindly growth with elongated stems and large gaps between new leaves. Inspect leaves and stem junctions for signs of insect or disease problems.

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Check any support stakes to make sure they are not hiding broken stems or branches.

Finally, make sure the plant is placed in an area that suits its optimal requirements for light, temperature and humidity.

Environmental conditions: With the exception of the very darkest areas, you can always find a houseplant with growth requirements to match the environmental conditions in your home. The most important factors are light intensity and duration.

The best way to determine the intensity of light at a window exposure area is to measure it with a light meter. A light meter measures light in units called foot-candles. One footcandle is the amount of light from a candle spread over a square foot of surface area.

Plants that prefer low light may produce dull, lifelesslooking leaves when exposed to bright light. Bright light can also cause leaf spots or brown-

tipped scorched margins.

Conversely, not enough light can cause slow, spindly growth and the development of small pale leaves. Plants may not flower. If they do, the buds may drop, or the flowers may fade quickly. Variegated leaves often revert to being completely green.

Temperature and Humidity 1. Nearly all houseplants prefer a humidity level of 50% or more 2. A simple method to increase the humidity is to place plants in a pebble tray. This is a tray lined with pebbles and filled with enough water to reach to just below the pebble’s surface.

3. Plants prefer temperature as of 230C days and 180C at nights (in general, 5 degrees cooler at night than in day).

Watering and fertilization To determine your plant’s

water need, simply stick your index finger into the soil. Most plants are ready for water if they are dry one-inch down from the surface of the soil. To water properly, most plants prefer a really thorough drink with tepid water. Moisten the soil completely until the water is coming out of the bottom of the pot. Do not let the plant sit in this drainage water.

Overwatering can cause leaf spots which are soft and dark brown. It can also cause lower leaves to yellow and to drop.

All houseplants need adequate amounts of food to grow. Look for a balanced plant food with an N-P-K analysis like 10-10-10. Feeding should be done only while the plant is actively growing or flowering. Three feedings during the growing season, starting in April and extending through June, is usually sufficient. The most commonly used plant foods are dissolved in water. Some gardeners

Houseplants prefer the encapsulated, slowrelease fertilizers that may be sprinkled on the soil surface or worked into the soil.

Root Media Because of the physical limitations of the container, houseplants need specialized media. Do not use straight field soil. It lacks correct physical properties. It is best to buy a potting mix from a garden centre like cocopeat, Vermiculite, Perlite.

Container media needs to be able to hold nutrients (have a high cation exchange capacity). Organic matter will help increase nutrient-holding capacity.

The pH (acid balance) of the soil needs to be favourable for houseplant growth. A pH range of 5.5 to 6.5 is best.

Grooming of House Plant Removing any shrivelled or discoloured leaves and cleaning dust from your house plant will not only make it look more attractive; it also allows the plant to function more effectively. Leaves can be cleaned with a soft cloth while supporting the leaf with one hand. Some gardeners use commercial leaf shiners.

One simple technique to control growth is by pinching back the growth tip with your thumb and forefinger.

The species name ‘nocturnum’ refers to the species habit of opening its small, heavilyscented flowers at night. The flowers release powerful sweet perfume at night.

Pinching is same as pruning on a small scale. Pinching back the young growing tip causes the plant to branch out below the pinch, promoting new growth.

Repotting Plants in pots up to 10 inches in diameter should be repotted annually. Large container plants should be repotted every 2 years. This prevents the plant from becoming pot-bound. Potbound plants have very slow leaf and stem growth. The soil dries out quickly even with frequent watering and roots may begin to grow out of the drainage hole.

Diseases and Pests Spots, rots, wilts and mildews on your houseplant are symptoms of disease. It is important to identify the problem correctly so it can be treated effectively. Black shrivelled sections of stem just above the soil line may indicate a disease called blackleg caused by a fungus.

Soft, slimy stems with black or brown decayed areas can be symptoms of crown rot, also caused by a fungus. Brown leaf spots which grow and merge can be either bacterial or fungal leaf spot diseases. If any of these symptoms occur, a recommended treatment includes destroying infected leaves, using a fungicide and modifying cultural practices.

There are a variety of pests which plague houseplants like Whitefly, Aphid, Thrips, Scale, Mealy bug etc. Identify the pest and apply the appropriate remedy as soon as the first symptoms appear. Repeated treatments may be required to break the life cycle of overlapping generations of most of these insects.

Plants for indoors A wide range of plants can be grown indoors ranging from money plants to a rose plant that loves bright sunlight; a tiny; African violet or sapling of a rubber tree which can grow in to a giant tree can all be used for indoor gardening. But then

one will have to see that the proper place for each plant is provided. The rose plant will have to be placed in a sunny balcony, money plant and African violet on a shady windowsill and the rubber tree sapling as long as it can be accommodated in the pot and indoors. Sunloving plants too can be kept indoors temporarily, say for a function, such as a birthday party. A list of some plants suitable for keeping indoors is given below.

Decorative foliage plants 1. Dieffenbachia 2. Brassaia 3. Aglaonema 4. Alocassia 5. Dracaena 6. Ferns 7. Maranta 8. Alpinia 9. Ficus varieties 10. Oxalis 11. Palms 12. Anthurium 13. Schefflera For hanging baskets 1. Fittonia 2. Tradescantia 3. Ferns 4. Selaginella 5. Chlorophytum 6. Episcia 7. Begonia 8. Money plants

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Houseplants

9. Peperomia 10. Hoya 11. Pilea 12. Orchids 13. Plectranthus Flowering plants 1. African violets 2. Orchids 3. Episcia 4. Flowering begonia 5. Impatiens 6. Calla 7. Spathiphyllum Creepers 1. Money plant

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Floriculture Today August 2020

Indoor plants reduce components of indoor air pollution, particularly Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). VOC’s have been reported to reduce by about 50-75% with the presence of a houseplant.

2. Passiflora tricolour 3. Philodendron 4. Piper crocatum 5. Syngonium 6. Vanilla 7. Cissus 8. Hedera helix 9. Hoya

Effects Indoor plants reduce components of indoor air pollution, particularly Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).

VOC’s have been reported to reduce by about 50-75% with the presence of a houseplant.

Plants also appear to reduce airborne microbes and increase humidity. Moreover, the active interaction with houseplants “can reduce physiological and psychological stress compared with mental work.”

Indoor plants can provide psychological benefits such as stress-reduction and increased pain tolerance. n Author: Ravi Savaliya, Student (Masters in Horticulture), Navsari Agricultural University, Gujarat E-mail: ravisavaliya497@gmail.com

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Floriculture Today 39

News

Dutch cutting supplier ready to get started with new facility

D.J. Hendriksen & Zn BV has had a brand new facility built. The existing building, which father Hendriksen built in 1990, was in need of replacement; everything was outdated and especially the increasing amounts of cuttings, as well as the staff, were lacking sufficient space.

Thanks to the builders and suppliers, led by Gert Roseboom of Roseboom Bouwkundig Adviesbureau, an important step for further growth has now been made.

Roots Hendriksen’s roots go back to the early 1970s, when father Hendriksen got a bright idea. Simon Hendriksen, son and current owner of the company, relates. “He was a hippie and wanted to go to India because of the opium there. But the trip still had to be financed and so he thought that he could provide growers with cuttings. He had a good place where he could collect cuttings for free and knew a handful of growers who wanted to pay him for that.

And that’s how it started; by bicycle to

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Floriculture Today August 2020

the growers, then his own company - the initial plan soon was shelved - with his own cutting production and warehouse.”

The new building is, besides being modern and fully equipped, above all a lot more spacious. “We have grown considerably in recent years. This means that we are increasingly processing cuttings for our customers. But we had reached the maximum capacity. The new warehouse is much larger, the driveway is more spacious, trucks can drive in and out much easier and we can store all things much better. If a load with, say, one and a half million cuttings arrives, we will be finished with it in 2 or 3 hours. That used to be double. The cold stores - installed by Van der Laan - are also more spacious and modern, and the climate in the warehouse is also better; we can keep it nice and cool. Moreover, things are now more organized, so you make fewer mistakes.

Finally, we now have a modern office that is fully equipped.”

Simon joined the company in 2003. “At that time we were still fully engaged in the production and trade of winter cuttings.

But I had just started when this market collapsed. Within two years, we no longer could sell even a single winter cutting. We had to look for other crops, in plants such as boxwood and lavender, and we also had to look for a (literally) better climate.

That’s how we ended up in Africa. We had a look in South Africa, we looked in Ethiopia, but in the end Uganda seemed the best to us. The climate there is good and stable, and it has greatly increased our options, as well as those of all other players in our market. Previously, for example, we were able to supply lavender in August and September. The customer then had to take cuttings, keep them in dormant state and hope that there would be some left over in spring. An average of 30% of cuttings gets lost, with hibernation an additional 10-20%. Now we supply these plants all year round, we can start in week 1, the plant does not have to hibernate, the cutting is much stronger and ultimately 99% is good.”

From pile to plinth Gert Roseboom from Roseboom Bouwkundig Adviesbureau managed the construction, “from pile to plinth”.

“It is important to have a group that can

take care of your things and that has your trust. It is a lot of additional work, and daily business continues as usual.

But construction went smoothly and the budget was realistic. In the end we were maybe just one percent off from the original budget; the central heating, the gas connection, that all turned out to be a lot more expensive than expected. In the end, we also went for a heat pump and in the future perhaps for solar panels on the roof. Finally, I must admit, I made a bit of a mistake in the costs of the cold storage.”

Since Hendriksen started in Uganda in 2010, the company has continued to grow every year. About 60-70% of the cuttings are primarily for the Dutch market, because the first customers are often companies that root the cutting. The rest is mostly for customers in Germany, Japan and China, and a little bit for the US. “It is difficult to get a foothold there, but not a must in my opinion. If that would become more it would be great, but it is not necessary. In any case, we can move forward again for the time being.”

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Floriculture Today 41

News

Corona caused a 10% loss of turnover despite a strong recovery

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decrease of 12% compared to the first six months of 2019.

he average price of flowers was 2.8% lower, houseplants 3.6% higher and garden plants 16.8% higher. The volume decreased by 11.7%. The first half of the year saw a strong recovery. High prices led to good sales, while there was still lagging supply.

Solid financial challenge David van Mechelen, CFO Royal FloraHolland said, “For the sector, the first half of 2020 was very difficult. The losses for growers were sometimes very large. The Noodfonds Sierteelt offered a safety net, but many growers have a loss of turnover of up to 30% for their own Because there was much less supply and because of the shift from clock to direct, the number of carts with flowers and plants was much less than last year, which was partly due to a different composition of the supply that was and still is disrupted by the corona crisis, which means that the revenues from logistics services for Royal FloraHolland are much lower and we are making significant losses this year, while there is a considerable financial challenge, while at the same time the crisis shows that our strategy is the right one. We will therefore accelerate its implementation wherever possible and we are confident that we will succeed. “ Cut flower sales fell by 14% in the

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Floriculture Today August 2020

first half of the year. The number of stems decreased by 12% and the price by 4%.

This has been driven by the top of the corona crisis. In the week 12-25 period, cut flower sales decreased by 24%, of which 20% were number of stems and 5% lower in price.

The supply of cut flowers decreased by 12%. The reasons for this decrease are limited supply from Kenya and Israel and supply regulation in the first weeks of the corona crisis. Growers have also sometimes suspended cultivation. The loss of supply from Kenya and Israel had an impact on the clock share in trade.

The production from those countries is actually sold on the clock.

The rose remains the leader as the most popular flower with a turnover of 327 million euros in the first six months.

The tulip is a close second with a turnover of more than 197 million euros. The total number of cut flowers sold via Royal FloraHolland was 5.2 billion euros, a

Houseplants In houseplants, turnover decreased by 7.1%, the price compensated for the decrease in volume by more than 10%.

In the period week 12 - 25 the turnover decreased by 14%, the number of pieces was 18% less and the price was 5% higher compared to last year. Within the group of houseplants, the Phalaenopsis (orchid) is at the top in terms of both turnover and number of pieces. Sales decreased by 10% during the entire first half of the year, and even declined by 20% during the peak of the corona crisis. Anthurium stands out in the top 5 turnover with a growth of 1.8%, despite the corona crisis. 80% of all houseplants are sold via direct transactions and the other 20% via the clock.

Garden plants The garden plant season has turned out very well despite corona. The first half of the year ended with a turnover increase of 8.8%. The supply fell by almost 7%, but the good pricing (+16.8%) more than made up for the loss. In total, nearly 206 million garden plants were sold. Lavender tops the turnover rankings by almost 20 million euros. This is more than 20% more than last year.

News

Louisville flower farmers see business bloom amid pandemic

I

n the morning, Jessica Bush and Aral Michalow, the owners of Phoenix Hill Flower Farm, fill their truck with flowers of all colours, shapes and sizes, and then head off to make the day’s deliveries.

“Honestly we’re having so much fun with it,” Bush said.

Last year, the couple sold to five or six local florists. This year that number is up to 16. One of the florists they sell to is Carolyn Minutillo, the owner of Lavender Hill in Jeffersonville.

“They’re bringing us the freshest of the fresh and then we’re able to support another local small business,” Minutillo said.

At the beginning of the pandemic, many flower shipments from overseas were halted. The change forced more local florists to get their flowers locally from farms like Phoenix Hill Flower Farm.

Before the truck is loaded to make deliveries throughout Kentuckiana, the work starts at their farm in Simpsonville.

Bush and Michalow started farming on this land a year ago. They are now harvesting about an acre with even more room to grow.

“Really we wanted to try everything.

This colour, that variety and so we have a lot of varieties, a lot of colours right now,” Bush said.

The farm is new, but their passion for the business is not. The couple started farming in their yard four years ago after buying a house.

“We had a yard for the first time,” Bush said. “And so we were like let’s plant every flower imaginable. And we did.”

They would bring bouquets of flowers for the hostess stand at the restaurant where they both work.

“Customers would come in and buy the bouquets out of the vase and we were like, oh man maybe we’re onto something,” Michalow said.

They went from farmers markets to now florists and designers.

“I genuinely love the people that we sell to and because of that I want to bring them the best product,” Bush said.

As the flowers have grown, so has their business.

With that blooming business, Jessica and Aral set their sights on a future as full-time flower farmers.

“We really realized that this could be a dream that we live,” Michalow said. “I think the end goal is to really be a local source of beautiful blooms to the whole area.”

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News

UK government rules out financial support for ornamentals

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usinesses in the UK ornamentals sector, worth more than £24 billion to the UK economy, face an uncertain future after the government ruled out financial support for plants and flowers that were wasted due to COVID-19 related market closures.

In a letter to the NFU, Defra minister Lord Gardiner said that offering compensation would not deliver value for money for the public, but that businesses should be encouraged to access other support measures such as CBILS loans.

In contrast, one of the UK’s largest competitors, the Netherlands, launched a 600 m euro aid package for affected ornamentals businesses to mitigate losses and help with business recovery.

NFU horticulture board chair Ali Capper said, “It is very disappointing that government has felt that the ornamentals sector needs no further support other than a loans mechanism that will leave businesses in debt for many years to come. Nor that the support for an industry worth £24.2 billion, employing 568,700 people, and contributing £5.4 billion in tax revenue, would deliver value for the public.

“At the same time, our key competitors are being given the support that not only helps them survive but gives them the confidence to invest for the future.

The Defra decision seems completely counter intuitive at a time when the UK is looking to take back control, and when improving the UK’s biosecurity is more important than ever.

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“The number of ornamental businesses facing insolvency has reduced due to the industry’s successful campaigning for garden centres to be among the first retailers allowed to re-open. The NFU, alongside the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) and wider industry, has also been engaging with the financial services sector to explain the difficulties growers have found with the CBILS scheme which has led to banks developing more flexible options to support growers’ concerns.

“The NFU will continue to work with industry stakeholders to ensure this decision does not undermine the viability of the sector and that the industry is recognised and supported by government in future policy making.”

The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) Chairman, James Barnes, said, “The decision by DEFRA not to provide financial support to ornamental growers is hugely disappointing and a significant blow for many English plant nurseries.

“Since March the HTA and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) have been engaged with Defra to work towards a positive outcome and provided robust evidence that supported the need for a grant aid scheme - like the one put in place by the Dutch government to save its industry. The Northern Ireland Executive has accepted the need. We’re continuing discussions with the Scottish Government for a support package.

“We were successful in leading the campaign to get garden centres re-opened within the first phase of relaxing lockdown and that was very welcome for the sector. However, more than half of British ornamental growers (52%) expect a further downturn in sales throughout July as they have not been able to plant crops during lockdown and this has increased imports.

“Dutch and other European countries with garden centres that remained open and that have supported their

industries are already taking advantage of this. While UK garden centres have a strong track record of sourcing British plants, the pressures of COVID-19 has forced many to look abroad, with almost three-quarters of retailers (72%) claiming that they are currently unable to get the stock of bedding plants their business needs from UK growers.

“Meanwhile, the recently proposed Border Operating Model and new January trading arrangements represent a very significant challenge for the sector in just a few months’ time. These proposals would, if remain unchanged, deal another blow to an already weakened sector.

“Now, more than ever, we need to support domestic production to provide resilience that comes with a strong UK based horticultural industry.

“My primary concern is that the value of this £24bn industry is not fully recognised within Government, both economically and in terms of its contribution to the Government’s 25 Year Environmental plan and the nation’s wider climate change ambitions.

“We welcome DEFRA’s commitment to work with the industry on developing a strategic recovery plan for the sector. We do believe that with the right recognition and policies this industry can become an engine of growth in a post-COVID, postBrexit world.

“Confidence is a hugely powerful instrument in delivering growth and while there will be many things that we the industry and government can do to help this, in the long run, we look to government now to show willing by giving priority to the following: v Assurance that garden centres will retain ‘essential retailer’ classification for future COVID-19 related planning. v Ensuring that forthcoming Brexit trade arrangements will balance free trade with the UK’s biosecurity needs – and to work with the industry to understand the complex supply chain issues. v Spearheading a ‘Buy British’ campaign for all direct and local government procurement processes for forthcoming landscape projects.” n

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

Postal Regn. No. DL (S) - 17/3212/2015-17 R.N.I. Regn. No. 63761/96