Abstract

Author:
Salikram Ghimire, Bikash Kandel, Suraksha Neupane, Niraj Chaudhary, Nischal Chand, Nikesh Sharma, Kaman Dahal Khatri, Rashmi Poudel

Doi: 10.26480/trab.02.2025.126.137

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Photoperiod plays a crucial role in regulating the growth and flowering behavior of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), a short-day and economically important ornamental crop. A study was conducted at Chanauli, Chitwan, Nepal, during 2018/2019 to examine the effect of photoperiod and variety on the morphological, floral, and yield attributes of chrysanthemum under protected conditions. Six varieties-Zembla Cream, Arctic Queen White, Green Button, Kathleen Dark Red, Zembla Sunny, and Pink Chandramallika were tested under two photoperiod treatments: light and no-light. The experiment followed a factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications. Results revealed that the vegetative and reproductive traits were significantly influenced by both variety and photoperiod. Overall, plant height, stem diameter, plant spread, flower size, and flower yield declined with the absence of supplemental light. Zembla Cream showed superior performance across most parameters, particularly under extended light, including higher flower diameter (8.14 cm), flowering duration (12 days), and yield (48.3 t/ha). Green Button performed well vegetatively under light conditions, while Kathleen Dark Red showed the highest SPAD reading. Interaction effects between variety and photoperiod were mostly non-significant. Based on the findings, Zembla Cream, Arctic Queen, and Green Button emerged as promising varieties for off-season production using artificial lighting in protected cultivation. However, further research is needed to validate these results across broader environmental conditions.