Gerbera

Dr. P. Syam Sundar Reddy

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 Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) is an important commercial flower crop grown throughout the world in a wide range of climatic conditions. Gerbera belongs to the family Compositae. It is ideal for beds, borders, pots and rock gardens. The flowers come in a wide range of colors and lend themselves beautifully to different floral arrangements. The cut blooms when placed in water remain fresh for a reasonable amount of time.

 Plants are stem less and tender perennial herbs, leave radical, petiole, lanceolate, deeply lobed, sometimes leathery, narrower at the base and wider at toe and are arranged in a rosette at the base. The foliage in some species has a light under surface. The daisy-like flowers grow in a wide range of colors including yellow, orange, cream-white, pink, brick red, scarlet, maroon, terracotta and various other intermediate shades. The double cultivars sometimes have bicolor flowers, which are very attractive. The flower stalks are long, thin and leafless.

History
Discovered by botanist Robert Jameson in 1878 Origin: South Africa The Botanical gardens in Kew, England identified the plant and gave it the species name Gerbera jamesonii Most modern breeding has taken place in the Netherlands

Produced in North America in the 1920s University of Californias breeding program made them suitable for garden use in the 1970s Florida/Europe developed them for cut flower greenhouse production Majority of cut flowers come from: Columbia, South America, the Netherlands

Gerbera Facts
Uses: Cut flowers, potted plants and bedding plants White, yellow, red, pink, orange, scarlet and bicolor flowers Single composite inflorescences are on a non branching scape 20 inch diameter plants for cut flowers 28 inch scape length for cut flowers 1.75 to 5 inch diameter flower size

Flowering
11 to 16 weeks after transplanting in vitro propagated plugs First visible flower buds are observed after 10-14 leaves have developed in the primary leaf whorl FI and FD are mainly affected by light intensity and temperature FI after two to three true leaves are visible

Temperature

Temperature: night temperature of 68 to 70F is preferable until plants establish a root system, usually in the first 3 to 4 weeks. Temperatures can then be reduced to 65 to 68F at night for the next 2 to 3 weeks, followed by 60F to finish.

Relative Humidity
Botrytis can be a serious problem with gerberas during dark, cool periods in winter when the greenhouse humidity is high. Take steps to keep the humidity below 70 percent during the day and below 85 percent at night. Good internal air circulation in the greenhouse at night and ventilation during the day are essential. High humidity appears to contribute to flower stalk stretching.

Light
Gerberas require high light intensities for goodquality plants and high flower bud numbers. For this reason, they are mostly produced in the spring and summer, with the greatest amount of production for the spring market. Plants grow best in full sun during the fall, winter, and spring. Light shade (30 to 40 percent) can be used to reduce excessive greenhouse temperatures in the summer. Gerberas appear to respond only slightly to photoperiod. Short days tend to speed flower production, while long days delay flowering.

Soil/media
Optimum soil pH should be between 5.5 and 6.5 to get maximum efficiency in absorption of nutrients. The salinity level of soil should not be more than 2 dS/m The soil should be highly porous and well drained to have better root growth and better penetration of roots.

Disinfection of soil
Before plantation of Gerbera plants, disinfection of soil is absolutely necessary for getting rid of the fungus Phytophthora which is a menace to gerbera culture. It is done by i) Covering the soil with plastic for 6-8 Weeks ii) Chemical - Using methyl bromide @ 7.5 - 16 lit. per 100 sq.m. or by formalin 450 ml per sq.m. and covering with plastic for two weeks. After sterilizing and subsequent washing out of the soil, it is advised to wait for 2 weeks before plantation.

Bed preparation
In general GERBERAS are grown on raised beds to assist in easier movement and better drainage. The dimensions of beds should be as follows: Bed height : 45 cm Width of bed at top : 60 cm Width of bed at bottom : 70 cm Pathway between beds : 30 cm The beds for planting should be * Highly porous * Well drained

* Airy

 The material used for bed preparation is as under: Soil - 35 parts FYM - 80 parts Rice husk - 10 parts Sand - 4 parts Add single super phosphate (0:20:0) @ 2.5 kg per 10 sq.ft. for better root establishment and MgS04 @ 0.5 kg per 10 sq.ft. to take care of deficiency of Mg.

Polyhouse structure
Height of the polyhouse - 3.5 - 4m i.e. 11-13 feet; sufficient ventilation space is required on top and sides; approximately 400 w/m2 light intensity is required on the plant level and is provided with 50-70 per cent shade net; the ideal temperature for gerbera flower initiation is 23C and for leaf unfolding is 2527C; The optimum humidity should be 80-85 per cent, which will maintain the health of the plants.

GREENHOUSE FOR COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION:

1. Criteria for site selection a. The land should be leveled. b. No wind breaks or multi storied structures present upto 30 meters. c. Good connectivity to nearest market d. Electricity at the site e. No high tension electricity wire upto 5 meters f. Availability of good quality of water 2. Specification: a. Height: 5 to 6.5m b. Length: North-South c. Gutter direction: North-South d. Polythene thickness: 200microns e. Vent opening: Along the wind direction f. Distance between two adjoining poly houses should be minimum 4m.

 3. Sufficient ventilation space is required on top and sides 4. To protect the plants from the rain in the monsoons, without affecting the air circulation side curtains should be kept open in slanting position. 5. To control light intensity and solar radiation, white shade net (50%) is used. Approximately 400w/m2 light intensity is required on the plant level. Top shade net opening and closing: During cloudy climate keep open, otherwise close from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm. During cold nights close the shade nets. In summer close from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm.

 6. The ideal temperature for Gerbera flower initiation is 230C and for leaf unfolding is 25270C. The flowering of Gerbera is harmed below 120C and above 350C. 7. The optimum humidity inside the greenhouse should be 70-75%, which will maintain the health of the plants. 8. Wash top of the plastic every one month interval to remove the dust and get maximum benefit of sunlight. 9. Apply white wash to East, west and north sides of green house to protect plants from bright light intensity during summer season.

Planting
While planting gerbera plants, the crowns of plants should be 1-2 cm above soil level. Plant the seedlings without disturbing the root-ball. Generally, two rows should be planted on one bed at 37.5 cm distance between the rows and 30 cm distance between the plants in one row.

i) Water quality should be as follows

a. pH- 6.5- 7.0 b. EC- < 0.7 ms/cm. c. T. D. S. < 450ppm d. Hardness < 200ppm

ii) Immediately after planting, irrigate the plant with overhead micro sprinklers for four weeks to enable uniform root development. iii) The water requirement of gerbera plant can be approximately 700 m/lit. per plant per day. In hot summer foggers can be utilized to maintain the humidity of the air.

 iv) Unit the first flowers are produced, irrigation can be done with overhead microsprinklers. Thereafter irrigation is through drippers. v) The relative humidity of air should not exceed 90-92 per cent, as it will lead to deformity of flowers.

Water and Nutrition

Never over water Allow to dry slightly between irrigations 300 ppm N 30-10-30 once after transplanting when leaves have formed, thereafter no further phosphorus is needed Magnesium and iron deficiencies are common because of high requirement Mg SO4 monthly at 16 oz/100 gal Fe chelate constantly at 0.5 oz/100 gal

Fertigation
i) After plantation, apply N:P:K 20:20:20 @ 1.5 g/lit. every 2 days for first three months during the vegetative phase to have better foliage, ii) Once flowering commences, start N:P:K 15:8:35 @ 1.5 g/lit. for more flowers and better flower quality on dayto-day basis. iii) Micronutrients should be given weekly or fortnightly as per the deficiency symptoms.

Media
Avoid pH > 6.5 and high soluble salts Frequent media monitoring is recommended Good drainage and aeration are essential

Intercultural operations
Leaf servicing and loosening of soil were performed to maintain the health of plants. Flower scape length and plant diameter are inherent and cultivar selection is necessary for each use Greater DIF = longer scape B-nine reduces scape length, leaf size and darkens leaves B-Nine (4000 ppm) applied 8 weeks after transplanting Cycocel is not effective

Spacing and Disbudding

Dont let leaves overlap and dont let the growing point get covered with anything Cut flower space 13 X 13 to 15 X 15 Pot plants 1.4 to 3 plants per square foot 5-inch pot space at 11 X 11 Removing first flower will allow more rapid and uniform elongation of remaining scapes

Insect Problems
Whitefly Thrips Aphids Spider Mites Cyclamen Mites Fungus gnats Leaf miners Worms, slugs and snails

Diseases
Botrytis (Decree, Chipco 20019) Powdery Mildew (Phyton 27) Phytophthora (Subdue) Rhizoctonia (Systec, Medallion) Pythium (Subdue)

Physiological Disorders
Bent-neck is the insufficient flower stem hardening or maturation of the stem tissue below the harvested flower which results in stem collapse. Bushiness: An abnormality characterized by numerous leaves, short petioles and small laminae, which gives some cultivars of gerbera a bushy appearance known as bushiness. Nodes are not clearly distinguished and no inter node elongation is seen.

 Stem break: It is common post harvest disorder in cut gerberas. This is mainly caused by water imbalances. It could be ethylene controlled and associated with early senescence associated with water stress. Yellowing and purple margin: Nitrogen deficiency causes yellowing and early senescence of leaves. Phosphorus deficiency causes pale yellow colour with purple margin. Increase in levels of nitrogen and phosphorus were found to promote development of suckers and improve flowering in gerbera.

Harvesting
i) Gerbera is a 30 months crop. The first flowers are produced 7-8 weeks after plantation. The average yield is 200 flowers per sq.meter (6-7 plants). ii) The flowers are harvested when 2-3 whorls of stamens have entirely been developed. iii) Pluck the flowers in the morning or late in the evening or during the day when temperature is low. iv) Cut the heel of the stem by giving an angular cut. v) Immediately put the flowers in water after harvesting for four hours.

Post harvest
Both cut and pot are harvested when the two outer rows of disc florets are open and pollen can be seen Stems are pulled not cut Bent neck is related to bacterial contamination Only slightly sensitive to ethylene

Packaging and marketing

After harvesting, flowers were sorted according to stem length, size of bud into different grades and colour of flowers. Each flower is covered with plastic bag so that there should be damage to stamens, to avoid the damage to" stem during transportation flowers are packed into10 flowers per bunch and tied by rubber band and packed in CFB boxes. Packing is done separately for different grades.

DIAGNOSING PROBLEMS
If flower stems are too tall or foliage too large: -Light intensity too low If flowers are too short or hidden in foliage: Could be the use of excessive fertilizer -Plants drying out too frequently -Too much growth regulator -Growing temperature too low -Soluble salts too high

If flowers are distorted: -Caused by mites or thrips If plant is stunted or fails to grow: -Poor drainage -Packing soil too tightly -Low soil temperatures If plant wilts or dies: -Planted too deep (crown rot/root rot)