tuberose

tubeRose

Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) belonging to the family Asperagaceae is native to Mexico. It is an important ornamental crop grown commercially for loose flowers and cut flowers.The flowers of single types are used in garlands and floral decorations while the spikes of double types are used as cut flowers in bouquets and for vase decoration. Dwarf type cultivars with variegated leaves are preferred for pot culture and landscaping. The flowers of single type tuberose are highly fragrant and contain 0.08 to 0.14 % of concrete. Fragrant oils used in perfumes is in great demand. It is mainly cultivated in the tropical and subtropical regions like Morocco, France, Hawaii, South Africa, India and China.

varietal wealth

types of tuberose

There are three types of tuberose viz., Single, Semi-double and Double. The cultivars which are having single whorl of tepals is called single type, and those with two to three rows of tepals are called semi-doubles, while the cultivars with more than three whorls of tepals are called double types. Single and double types of tuberose are mainly under commercial cultivation.

varieties suitable for...

The commercial cultivation of tuberose in India is mainly confined to West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and areas around Delhi. The tuberose varieties in cultivation for cut flower and loose flower are Arka Prajwal, Arka Vaibhav, Arka Suvasini, Arka Shringar, Arka Nirantara, Pearl Double, Mexican Single, Calcutta Single, Calcutta Double, Variegated, Hyderabad Single, Hyderabad Double, Phule Rajani, GK-TC-4, Bidhan Rajani-1 and Bidhan Rajani-2. The tuberose varieties for pot plant cultivation and landscape are Rajat Rekha, Suarna Rekha & Arka Sugandhi.

crop duration

Tuberose comes to flowering after 3 to 4 months of planting depending upon the size of the bulbs planted. Smaller bulbs take longer time to flower. Flowering period extends up to 6-8 months. Later, the bulbs enter a period of dormancy. When the bulbs are dormant, irrigation should be stopped. At this stage, the bulbs can be dug from the ground and separated from the clumps. Alternatively, irrigation may be stopped for a month when the bulbs are dormant and ratoon crop may be grown. Ratoon crop increases the number of spikes per unit area and is recommended for loose flower purpose.

cultivation practices

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     climate

    Tuberose require moderate climate with temperature ranging from 20-30oC. It is a day neutral plant and good sunlight is essential for flowering. Very low temperature and frost damage the plants and flowers, and grows well in sunny situation. Tuberose is sensitive to water logging and hence proper drainage is essential. Water logging even for a short period damages the root system and affects growth and flowering.

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    propagation

    Tuberose is multiplied through bulbs. Healthy bulbs with a diameter of 2 cm and above can be selected for planting. After flowering, leaves wither and the bulb enters a period of dormancy. At this stage, irrigation should be stopped and the bulbs are ready for harvest. The bulbs should be dug from the ground and dried under shade. Then, they should be separated from the clump and graded according to their size as small, medium and large bulbs. They have a dormancy period of about 4-6 weeks, during which they should not be planted.

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    soil

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    Tuberose is suited to a wide range of soils from loamy to sandy loam having a pH in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 with good aeration and drainage. The soils should be rich in organic matter and retain sufficient moisture for proper growth. Potting media consist of AFC + Soil + Sand + FYM (1:1:1:1) found to be suitable.

  • Planting

    The field should be prepared well to get a fine tilth and well decomposed farm yard manure at the rate of 20 tonnes/ha should be applied along with 200 kg of neem cake enriched with 1 kg of Trichoderma harzianum. The healthy disease free bulbs (25 to 30 g) with a diameter of 2 cm and above are suitable for planting and the time of planting varies in different parts of India. In general, tuberose bulbs (63,000 bulbs per ha) are planted on raised beds with a spacing of 30 x 30 cm at 2.5 cm depth during April - September. Before planting they should be dipped in a mixture of 2 g/litre of carbendazim & 2 ml/litre chloropyriphos for 15-20 minutes to prevent incidence of fungal diseases and mealy bugs.

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    IrRigation

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    Irrigate the field before planting for better sprouting. Irrigation may be avoided until the bulbs sprout. Excess moisture in the soil at the time of sprouting results in the rotting of bulbs. Micro-irrigation may be adopted to economise the water use and increase the water and nutrient use efficiency. Depending on the weather condition, 4 to 6 litres of water per square metre can be given daily through drip irrigation.

  • Nutrient requirement

    Basal fertilizer application of well decomposed farm yard manure at the rate of 25 ton with 130kg urea, 85kg diamonium phosphate & 100kg muriate of potash per hectare has to be applied at the time of field preparation. This has to be followed by fertigation as follows:
    Up to 3 months after planting: 145kg urea, 52 kg MKP (0:54:32) and SOP (0:0:50) 60 kg/ha
    4 to 9 months: 145 kg urea, 83 kg MKP (0:54:32) and SOP (0:0:50) 94 kg/ha
    10 to12 months: 98 kg urea, 38 kg MKP (0:54:32) and SOP (0:0:50) 46 kg/ha
    For ratoon crop, the basal application of FYM and fertilizer to be repeated at the beginning of the cropping season. Need based foliar spray of ZnSO4 @ 0.5% + FeSO4@ 0.2%+Boric acid @0.1% to be practiced for getting better growth and yield in tuberose.

     

  • Harvesting & yield

    For cut flower purpose, the tuberose spikes is harvested when the first pair of flower buds opens on the spike. For loose flowers, fully matured flower buds which are at the horizontal position on flowers stalk is harvested during morning hours. Tuberose bulbs are harvested when the flowering is completed. Now the old leaves become dry and bulbs are almost dormant. Irrigation is withheld and soil is allowed to dry before digging out the bulbs. After digging, the bulbs are lifted out; the bulblets are separated and used as seed stock for the next season. The bulbs are placed on shelves to dry. The bulbs is stored and their position is changed every few days for uniform drying, to prevent rotting and fungal diseases.