GERBERA

(Gerbera jamesonii)
Compositae
 IMPORTANCE AND USES

• Cut flowers

• An ideal flower for bouquets

• Importance of the industrial cultivation in flowerpot

• Used as a decorative garden plant or as cut flowers.

• Fifth most used cut flower in the world

(after rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, and tulip).
• Used as a model organism in studying flower formation.

• Contains naturally occurring coumarin derivatives.

 ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION
Origin
• Gerbera jamesonii - native of Transvaal (Africa Southern)
• First reference made by J. D. Hooker
• Common Name: Transvaal daisy or Barberton daisy
• Breeding of gerbera started at the end of the 19th century in Cambridge
• Domesticated cultivars are Gerbera hybrida (Gerbera × cantebrigiensis)
• It is a cross of Gerbera jamesonii x G. viridifolia.
• Genus Gerbera founded by Gronovius
• Named in honour of Traugott Gerber

Distribution:

Extends to Africa, Madagascar, tropical Asia and South America

 AREA AND PRODUCTION
• Colors in demanded are: rose - 40% red - 20% yellow -10%
white -10% orange - 10%
• Types preferred - double flowers - 20-40%
- semi doubles - 20-40%
- single - 30-60%
• Colour of the centre of the inflorescence - black heart - 20-30%
- green heart -70-80%
• cultivated in England, Belgium, USA, Germany and Italy
• The Netherlands produces 420 million stems of gerbera / year
• valued at 145 million Netherlands guilders.
• Area in Tamil Nadu is 25 ha
• TN production 53 lakhs cut flowers
• Estimated value of Rs. 15 lakh
 TYPES
• Single or daisy-type flowers
- tight group of short disk flowers with inconspicuous petals
- surrounded by one or two rows of long outer ray flowers

• Intermediate flower type

- One or two rows of long outer ray flowers
- Several rows of medium-length ray flowers
- A tight group of short disk flowers in the center.

• Crested flower type

- Has many ray flowers almost covering the disk flowers
- The outer rows are longer than the inner rows
- The flower head is rounded

• There are further divided into ‘standard’, ‘spider’ and ‘mini’

depending on the size and shape of the flowers.
 Species
• Has approximately 30 species in the wild
• Gerbera asplenifolia
• Gerbera aurantiaca
• Gerbera kunzeana
• Gerbera jamesonii
• Gerbera viridifolia
 VARIETIES

• TNAU Varieties: YCD-1, YCD-2

Other Popular Varieties:
Red : Ruby Red, Sangria
Yellow : Doni,Supernova, Mammut, Talasa
Rose : Rosalin, Salvadore
Pink : Pink Elegance, Marmara, Esmara
Orange : Carrera, Goliath,Marasol
Cream : Farida, Dalma, Snow Flake, Winter Queen
• Sun Set, Nevada, Sangna, Lynx, Macho, Vino, Venturi. etc. are the
popular varieties of gerbera
Yecaud –1: YCD 1 (1992)

• Clonal selection
• Dwarf, herbaceous perennial (39cm)
• Double form with cherry red colour.
• Large flowers (9.11cm dia) - moderately prominent disc.
• Petals are dense, compact and arranged in concentric whorls.
• Stalk - long (47-79 cm) and thick.
• Free from the disorders like bent neck, petal necrosis
• Early flowering (within in 45 DAP)
• Yield 60 flowers / pt/ year.
• Vase life - 7 days.
• Suitable as cut flower, borders in garden and for pot cultivation.
• Suitable for TN hill ranges (1000 – 2000msl)
YCD 2 (1995)-
• cut flower variety
• selected from HRS germplasm collection
• Blooms throughout the year
• Peak flowering during May – June.
• Rosy pink flowers, borne on long stalk without bend.
• Vase life of 15 days in hills and 10 days in plains.
• Yield - 80 flowers / clump in a year
• Suitable for cultivation in hilly regions of Tamil Nadu.
 BARI Gerbera-1

• Year of release : 2009

red colour flower of 9.5 -10 cm dia
• Stalk length is 35-40 cm
• Vase life is 8-9 days.
• Duration of crop is 110-120 days.
• Yield 9,69,000 ton/ha.
• Sowing time: September to October
• Harvesting time: Year round.

Arka Krishika

Double type with yellow colour

Yield: 400 to 425 flowers /m2 /year
Use: Cut flower and floral decoration
Suitable for open field cultivation
 PROPAGATION

Seed Propagation
• 2 to 3 lakh seed / kg
• Seeds expensive, delicate, and sensitive to germinating conditions
• 14 to 18 weeks from seed to flower,
• Should be packed in moisture-proof packages
• Should be stored under cool conditions away from strong sunlight
until sown.
• Low their viability at to room conditions.
• Recommended sowing media : 40 to 60 percent peat + perlite
: pH 5.8 to 6.0
: E.C. - 0.8 mmhos/cm
• Seeds germinate in 15 to 20oC within two weeks, otherwise it may
take up to 30 days.
 Growing Plugs
• Plugs or seedlings should be transplanted 6 -7 weeks from sowing
• Should have four to five mature leaves.
• For winter planting an additional week may be required
• Purchased plugs need to be hardened
• Transplanting to be done within 2 days
• Overgrown transplants take longer to flower
• Transplanting depth is very important.
• Plant the soil ball slightly high so that the crown is not covered with soil
after it is watered
• Apply a broad-spectrum fungicide drench
Vegetative Propagation:
Division:
• Involves in dividing large clumps into smaller units
• Practiced in June when the plant may be out in the field.
Cutting:
• The buds in the axils of the leaves are detached and rooted in rooting
medium.
• They are ready for transplanting in 2 or 3 months.
• 40-50 plants can be produced in 2-3 months from a single mother plant.
• Young stem cuttings produce roots and shoots much easily and quickly
under intermittent mist.
Micro-propagation :
• Highly suitable for commercial production of large number of plants.
• Shoot tips, leaf mid-rib, capitulum, flower heads, inflorescence and buds
are used as expant
 Potting Media
• Loose and well drained with a high percentage of organic matter.

• 50 to 80 percent peat + perlite, vermiculite, calcine clay or course

sand
• pH of 5.8 to 6.0.

• Heavy feeders : so Ca + KNO3 added to the mix @ 0.5 kg/ m2 .

• After potting, place the plants pot-to-pot where they will receive the
maximum amount of light.
• Gerberas can be watered and fertilized overhead for about 4 weeks
before they must be placed at final spacing.
 BOTANY

• Tender perennial plant

• Flowers bear large capitulum

• Achenes are beaked; pappus of rough bristles in two or more
rows.
• Two-lipped ray florets in yellow, orange, white, pink or red
colours. disc florets are also sometimes two-lipped.
• Capitulum-composed of hundreds of individual flowers.

• Flower morphology varies acc to position in the capitulum.

• small -7 cm eg. 'Harley‘ or large -12 cm eg ‘Golden Serena’

• It is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds, but resistant to

deer.
 Cultivation
Soil and climate
• The optimum day and night temperature-27oC + 14oC

• For flower initiation is 23oC and

• For leaf unfolding it is 25-27oC

• Sunny or semi-shady locations

• well drained, rich, light, neutral or slightly alkaline soils.

• The soil pH should be between 5.5 to 6.5

• Salinity level of the soil not be more than 2 mS/cm.

• Gerbera are deep rooted plants - 50 to 70cm.

• The optimal level of CO2 : 600 and 800 PPM.

Growing of gerbera under cover
• Naturally ventilated low cost polyhouses.
• Height of the polyhouse or shade house
should be a minimum of 3.4 to 4 metres.
• Shade net of 50 to 75 per cent
• Approximately 400 w/m2 light intensity is
required
• Flowering will commence from 9 to 14
weeks of the first planting
 Planting
• Early rainy season planting is suitable for 1, 1.5
and 2 year culture;
• Spring season planting is best for 1.5 year
culture.
• Crowns of the plant should be one to two cm
above soil level.
• 37.5cm distance between the rows and
• 30cm distance between the plants in each row.
• Bed width is 60cm
• pathways between the beds is 30cm.
• 6-7 plants / sq m.
• R H: 80 % for at least a month.
 Preparation of Bed
• The media should be highly porous and well drained

• Well decomposed organic manure, sand and coconut

coir pith or paddy husk in 2:1:1 proportion should be
added
• Single superphosphate at the rate of 2.5 kg/100 sq. ft
is added for better root establishment
• Gebera is planted in raised beds and bed height is
kept 45 cm above the soil level.
 Irrigation
• Drip irrigation once in 2 – 3 days
• 3.75 litre/drip/plant for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Average water requirement : 500 – 700 ml/day/plant.
• Good quality water
• with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0
• EC of 0.5 to 1 mS/cm

Manuring
Basal
Neem cake : 2.5 ton/ha
Super Phosphate : 400 g/100 sq.ft.
MgSo4 : 0.5 kg/100 sq.ft.

Top dressing
CAN + MOP : 5:3 ratio applied @ 2.5 g/plant/month.
 Manure and fertilizers
• 75 metric tonnes well-rotted organic manure is
required / year / ha
• For Ist 3 mths: 20:20:20:N:P:K @1.5 gm/l H2O/
once in 2 days during the vegetative stage
encourages better foliage.
• Once flowering commences.
• N:P:K 15:8:35 @1.5 gm/l H2O/ day
• Boron deficiency : base of young leaves turn black
• Zinc deificiency : chlorosis on one half of the leaf
blade which ceases to expand, while the other half of
the leaf is normal.
 AFTER CULTIVATION

• Hand weeding is done whenever necessary.

• Remove the flower buds up to 2 months and then allow for

flowering.
• Rake the soil once in 15 days to facilitate easy absorption
of water, fertilizer and to provide air to the roots.
• Remove older leaves to facilitate new leaf growth and good
sanitation.
 PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS

Plant Protection
1. To control Nematode - Carbofuran 7-8 kg/ha at planting.
2. Leaf spot - Carbendazim 2 g/lit or Mancozeb 2 g/lit is

sprayed alternatively.
3. Leaf miner - Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 2 ml/lit.
4. Glasshouse whitefly - Monocrotophos 36 WSC 2 ml/lit or
Neem oil 3 ml/lit.
 PHYSIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
• 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 internode elongation is seen.
• Stem break
It is a common post harvest disorder in cut gerberas. This is mainly
caused by water imbalances. It could be ethylene controlled and
associated with early senescence caused by 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.
 Production Constraints faced by Hi-Tech-
Floriculture Units
• Huge investment
• Irregular supply of electricity required for irrigation
• Scarcity of labour
• Non-availability of quality indigenous planting material
• Poor harvest during the rainy season
• Pest and disease attack on crops

Marketing constraints :
• Seasonality in demand
• Inadequate cold storage facilities
• Absence of flower market with all requisite infrastructure facilities.
• Adequate Government support for export promotion and
• Absence of facilities and competitiveness at the IFAB
 SEASON OF FLOWERING AND HARVESTING

• When flowers completely open, harvesting is done.

• Grading - Based on stem length and diameter, flowers
are graded in A, B, C and D.
Post harvest handling
• Done when outer 2-3 rows of disc florets are
perpendicular to the stalk.
• The heel for the stalk should be cut about 2-3 cm above
the base and kept in fresh chlorinated water.
• Flowers should be graded and sorted out in uniform
batches.
• Flowers packed individually in poly pouches and then put
in to carton boxes in two layers.
 YIELD

• 2 stems / plant / month.

• Harvest starts from 3rd month of planting
• Continued up to two years.
• Under open condition, 130 -160 flowers / m2 / year
• Under greenhouse condition, 175 - 200 flowers /m2 / year