J. Hortic. Sci. Vol. 18(1) : 60-66, 2023 This is an open access article d istributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommer cial-ShareAl ike 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, d istribution, and reproduction in any med ium, provide d the original author and source are credited. Original Research Paper Evaluation of tuberose genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 (IC0642158) for flower yield, quality and response to biotic stress Bharathi T.U.1*, Kumar R.1, Nair S.A.1, Umamaheswari R.2, Sonavane P.2 Kalaivanan D.3 and Rao V.K.4 1Division of Flower and Medicinal Crops, 2Division of Crop Protection, 3Division of Natural Resources, 4Division of Basic Sciences ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesaraghatta Lake Post, Bengaluru - 560089, Karnataka, India *Corresponding author Email : ushabharathi.t@icar.gov.in ABSTRACT Tuberose (Agave amica, family Asparagaceae) is an important commercial flower crop valued for its spectacular fragrant flowers. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the single petalled tuberose genotypes for growth, flowering, flower yield, concrete yield and response to biotic stress for two consecutive years from 2020 to 2022. Tuberose genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 was found to be superior with highest plant height (55.53 cm), early flowering (94.93 days), highest number of spikes/plant (8.47), longest spikes (114.61cm) and rachis (32.11 cm) and maximum number of florets/spike (54.87). The matured bud weight of IIHR 17-23SP-08 was 1.29 g, which is preferable in the medium segment range with higher number of flower buds (725 buds per kg). It is a high yielder producing the highest number of spikes/m2 (76.20) and loose flower yield 18.88 t/ha/year among the genotypes evaluated. The genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 was also found to be a good multiplier with the maximum bulb production of 8.94 bulbs per clump. It was found to be resistant to root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and tolerant to leaf burn disease (Alternaria polianthi) under field conditions. It was found suitable as loose flower for garland preparation with the shelf life of 2 days under ambient conditions and for concrete extraction with the concrete yield of 0.095%. It produces white buds (RHS colour: NNI55D, white group, Fan 4) with green tinge on the tip. Thus, the genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 was found promising and novel among the single types with better flower and bulb yield parameters. Keywords : Concrete, evaluation, flowering, single type, shelf life, tuberose, yield. INTRODUCTION Tu b er o s e, A g a v e a m i c a ( M edik. ) T hiede & Govaerts (formerly Polianthes tuberosa Linn.) is one of t he mos t imp or t a nt t r op ic a l b u lb ou s f lower ing p la nt s t ha t b elongs t o t he f a mily Asparagaceae and is native to Mexico. It is an important commercial crop preferred due to its pleasant fragrance, longer keeping quality and wide adaptability. It is commercially cultivated in India in about 21,970 ha, with a loose flower production of 1,21,860 metric tonnes and cut flower production of 93,680 metric tonnes (Anon., 2021). The flowers of tuberose are highly fragrant containing 0.08 to 0.14 % of concrete and having high demand in the international market. Globally, tuberose concrete and absolute are produced and traded in India, Egypt a nd Fr a nce. Commer cia l cultiva tion of tuber ose in India is confined to West Bengal, Kar na ta ka , Ta mil Nadu, Mahar a shtr a, Andhr a Pr adesh, Utta r Pra desh, Chha ttisga r h a nd the National Capital Region (NCR). In India, the preference of flower colour of tuberose varieties is limited to white, although some varieties show pinkish and greenish tinge in bud stage. Garland segment in tuberose prefer varieties with green tinge on the bud tip. Though, the local variety of tuberose under cultivation is with green tinge on the bud tip, but its yield potential is very low and is highly susceptible to pests and diseases. Market demand is for medium sized flowers weighing less than 1.5 g/bud which makes a greater number of flowers per unit (kg). This stipulates the development of high yielding tuberose varieties with green tinge on the bud tip and medium bud weight suitable for garland purpose. With respect to biotic stresses, crop loss of 10 to 14% was reported due to root knot nematode https://doi.org/10.24154/jhs.v18i1.2148 61 J. Hortic. Sci. Vol. 18(1) : 60-66, 2023 infestation in tuberose (Khan and Parvatha Reddy, 1992). Leaf burn disease caused by Alternaria polianthi is extensive in tuberose causing significant yield losses (Mariappan et al., 1977; Muthukumar et al., 2007 and Mazumdar et al., 2021). Keeping the above in view, the present research work was carried out with the objective of breeding medium sized flowers with green tinge on bud tip for loose flower and garland purpose that are resistant/tolerant to root knot nematode and leaf burn disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS T he tuber ose genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 wa s developed through seedling selection from GK-TC-4 during the year 2017. It was vegetatively fixed through bulbs and multiplied. Seven single petalled type of tuberose genotypes namely IIHR 17-23SP-08, GK- TC-4, Phule Rajani, Bidhan Ujwal, Calcutta Single, Arka Prajwal (commercial check) and Mexican Single (local check) were evaluated for growth, flowering, flower and concrete yield and response to biotic stress in randomized block design with three replications from 2020 to 2022 at the Division of Flower and Medicina l Cr ops, ICAR-India n Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, India. Bulbs of medium size (2.5 cm diameter) were planted on raised bed of 30 cm height with a spacing of 30 cm x 30 cm with the bed size of 2.4 m2. Standard cultural practices were followed throughout the experiment. Observations were recorded on 15 plants in total, comprising 5 plants per replication for various parameters viz., plant height (cm), days to spike emergence, days to opening of first floret, number of spikes per clump, spike length (cm), rachis length (cm), number of florets per spike, length of floret (cm), diameter of floret (cm), bud length (cm), matured bud weight (g), weight of 100 florets (g), number of spikes per m2, loose flower yield per ha per year (tons), number of bulbs per clump, shelf life (days) and concrete content (%).Tuberose concrete was extracted by solvent extraction method (ASTA, 1960) with food grade hexane as solvent. The concrete content was calculated on fresh weight basis and expressed in percentage. Tuberose genotypes were screened for the resistance against root-knot nematode (M. incognita) for two consecutive years. Gall Index (GI) was registered in the roots in a 0-5 scale (0- immune, 1- highly resistant, 2- r esistant, 3- tolerant, 4- susceptible, 5- highly susceptible) as per Taylor and Sasser (1978) at the time of bulb harvest. The per cent disease index (PDI) and host reaction of the tuberose genotypes to leaf blight (A. polianthi) was recorded on 0-5 disease severity scale (0- immune, 1- resistant, 2-moderately susceptible and 3- highly susceptible) under field condition at 15 days interval for three times, as per Narayanappa and Chandra (1984). The da ta of two yea r s wer e pooled a nd a na lysed statistically (Gomez and Gomez,1984). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The perusal of data presented in Table 1, revealed significant differences in the growth, flowering and yield traits among the different genotypes. Plant height was maximum in genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 (55.53 cm), which was on par with the commercial check Arka Prajwal (54.84 cm), while, it was minimum in GK-TC-4 (36.05 cm). The variation in plant height Table 1 : Evaluation of tuberose genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 (IC0642158) with checks Plant Days to Days to No. of Spike Rachis Number Single bud Genotype height spike first floret spikes per length length of florets weight (cm) emergence open clump (cm) (cm) per spike (g) IIHR 17-23SP-08 55.53 94.93 22.17 8.47 114.61 32.11 54.87 1.29 Mexican Single 37.81 111.10 19.73 4.17 88.11 20.01 43.83 1.01 Arka Prajwal 54.84 101.03 29.00 5.18 97.39 30.90 52.50 2.04 GK-TC-4 36.05 125.03 19.77 4.00 65.25 18.29 49.67 1.22 Phule Rajani 39.02 148.17 24.10 4.00 58.14 20.15 44.10 1.09 Bidhan Ujwal 36.07 106.87 23.30 4.23 55.11 16.21 56.87 1.04 Calcutta Single 40.77 105.77 19.80 4.13 91.22 11.28 33.57 0.82 SEm± 0.79 1.77 0.35 0.12 2.10 0.88 1.25 0.03 CD (P=0.05) 2.45 5.51 1.08 0.36 6.54 2.75 3.90 0.10 CV (%) 3.18 2.70 2.67 4.15 4.47 7.20 4.52 4.75 Evaluation of tuberose genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 for yield and quality 62 might be due to the inherent genetic makeup of the particular genotype. Similar results on variation in plant height were also reported by Mahawer et al. (2013) and Dogra et al. (2020) in tuberose. Days to spike emergence varied from 94.93 to 148.17 days. The genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 was found to be early flowering (94.93 days) followed by Arka Prajwal (101.03 days) and Phule Rajani (148.17 days). Ramachandrudu and Thangam (2009) also reported early flowering in cv. Hyderabad Single. Days to opening of first floret ranged from 19.73 (Mexican Single) to 29.00 days (Arka Prajwal), however, genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 recorded 22.17 days for first floret opening and was early as compared to commercial check Arka Prajwal. The genotypes with early flowering catch the early market and would be remunerative to the farmers. Madhumathi et al. (2018) also observed variation in spike emergence in different cultivars of tuberose. The number of spikes per plant has direct influence on the yield of the tuberose. The genotypes IIHR 17 23SP 08 registered the highest number of spikes per clump (8.47), whereas, lowest was in GK-TC-4 and Phule Rajani (4.00). This variation in the production of spikes per clump might be due to the inherent genetic factor of different cultivars under prevailing envir onmenta l conditions. T he r esults a r e in conformity with the findings of Dalvi et al. (2021) and Gandhi and Bharathi (2021) in tuberose. The genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 recorded the longest spike (114.61 cm), while, Bidhan Ujwal registered shortest spike (55.11 cm). The rachis length varied from 11.28 (Calcutta Single) to 32.11 cm (IIHR 17 23SP 08). Variation in spike length and rachis length might be due to the inherent genetic potential of the genotype coupled with environmental conditions during the growing period. Madhumati et al. (2018) also observed variation in spike length of tuberose and reported maximum rachis length in Arka Prajwal (33.40 cm), whereas, minimum rachis length was recorded in GKTC-4 (23.93 cm). T he number of flor ets per spike ha s a dir ect association with the flower yield of the crop. Number of florets per spike ranged from 33.57 (Calcutta Single) to 56.87 (Bidhan Ujwal). The genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 recorded 54.87 number of florets per spike which was on par with commercial check Arka Prajwal (52.50) and was superior than the local check Mexican Single (43.83). Bharathi and Umamaheswari (2018) also reported similar results in tuberose. Weight of matured bud is an important economical trait for loose flowers as they are sold on weight basis. Current market demand in tuberose is for the variety that produces flowers buds which weigh less than 1.5 g per bud and have a greater number of flowers per unit (kg). In the present study, matured bud weight varied from 2.04 g (Arka Prajwal) to 0.82 g (Calcutta Single). The genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 recorded matured bud weight of 1.29 g/bud which is in the range of medium segment and is preferred in the market. Based on the individual mature bud weight, IIHR 17 23SP 08 contains approximately 725 buds per kg. Similar observations were also made by Ramachandrudu and Thangam (2009) in tuberose cv. Arka Prajwal. Hundred bud weight was recorded maximum in Arka Prajwal (219.63 g) and minimum in Calcutta Single (80.80 g). The results are in corroboration with the findings of Vijayalaxmi and Lakshmidevamma (2016) in tuberose. The data presented in Table 2 indicates significant variation in different flower traits. The bud length varied from 5.27 cm (Bidhan Ujwal) to 6.41 cm (Mexican Single), however, the genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 recorded the bud length of 6.20 cm, which was found to be superior to the commercial check Arka Prajwal (6.15 cm). Variation in bud length of tuberose might be due to the difference in inbuilt genetic factor of the genotypes as reported by Singh et al. (2018) and Bharathi and Umamaheswari (2018) in tuberose. Diameter of floret varied from 3.82 cm (Bidhan Ujwal) to 5.17 (GK-TC-4). The diversity in flower diameter is in close conformity with the findings of Singh and Dakho (2017), Singh et al. (2018) and Bharathi and Kirthishree (2019) in tuberose. The highest number of spikes per m2 was recorded in IIHR 17-23SP-08 (76.20), whereas lowest was recorded in GK-TC-4 and Phule Rajani (36.00). Loose flower yield was maximum in IIHR 17-23SP-08 (18.88 t/ha/yr) followed by Arka Prajwal (17.48 t/ha/ yr), whereas the lowest loose flower yield was recorded in Calcutta Single (5.08 t/ha/yr). Number of spikes per clump and number of florets per spike were found to be the highest in the tuberose genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 which directly related to the highest loose flower yield. The distinct variation in the flower yield may be attributed to the distinguished inherent genetic Bharathi et al. J. Hortic. Sci. Vol. 18(1) : 60-66, 2023 63 makeup of cultivars as reported by Naik et al. (2018) and Dalvi et al. (2021) in tuberose. T he mu lt ip lic a t ion effic ienc y of a va r iet y is important for large scale propagation and wider spread among the farmers and ease of availability. Number of bulbs per clump ra nged fr om 3. 19 (Phule Rajani) to 8.94 (IIHR 17-23SP-08). The variations observed in the bulb parameters are due to the presence of wide genetic variability among t he t es t ed genot yp es of t u b er os e. S imila r ob ser va t ions wer e r ecor ded by M a r t olia a nd Srivastava (2012) in tuberose. Shelf life wa s found to be the highest in the c ommer cia l chec k Ar ka P r a jwa l ( 3. 00 da ys ) followed by Calcutta Single (2.33 days) and IIHR 17 23SP 08 (2.17 days). Var iation a mong the t u ber os e c u lt iva r s f or t he s helf life ma y b e attributable to the hereditary traits, which is further inter pr eted by pr eva iling clima tic conditions. Safeena et al. (2019) reported the presence of genotypic variation in post-harvest life of tuberose. Tuberose concrete and absolute are much valued in the international market which is used as powerful modifier in floral accords that blends well with other scents. Among the tuberose genotypes tested, the concrete content was found to be the highest in Calcutta Single (0.097 %) followed by IIHR 17- 23SP-08 (0.095 %) (Fig 1.). The results of the study confirms that the genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 can be exploited for concrete extraction besides use as loose flowers which can be value added and used for ga r la nd ma king. T he existence of genetic variation among the tuberose genotypes in terms of concrete and absolute was reported by Chaudhary and Kumar (2017). The authors suggest that this tr a it ma y b e c ons ider ed a s pr ima r y ba s e f or impr ovement pr ogr ams especially for breeding tuber ose va r ieties with high concr ete content. S imila r r esu lts on va r ia t ion in conc r et e a nd essential oil yield among landraces were reported by Tabaei-aghdaei et al. (2002) in rose. T he tuber ose genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 wa s screened for the tolerance/resistance to root knot nematode (M. incognita) under field condition for two consecutive years and pooled analysis revealed that it was highly resistant under field conditions wit h minima l ga ll index of 1 . 3 1 ( Ta b le 3 ) . Genotypic variations towards root knot nematode infestation in tuberose might be due to the genetic Table 2 : Evaluation of tuberose genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 (IC0642158) with checks Bud Hundred Diameter No. of Loose flower No. of Shelf Genotype length bud weight of floret spikes yield/ha/ bulbs per life (cm) (g) (cm) per m2 year (tons) clump (days) IIHR 17 23SP 08 6.20 134.69 4.33 76.20 18.88 8.94 2.17 Mexican Single 6.41 108.63 4.31 37.50 8.10 7.00 2.00 Arka Prajwal 6.15 219.63 4.88 46.65 17.48 6.87 3.00 GK-TC-4 6.37 135.41 5.17 36.00 8.86 6.17 1.50 Phule Rajani 5.49 97.39 4.01 36.00 6.87 3.19 1.42 Bidhan Ujwal 5.27 116.56 3.82 38.10 8.99 5.67 1.25 Calcutta Single 5.61 80.80 4.08 37.20 5.08 6.44 2.33 SEm± 0.07 2.53 0.08 1.05 0.21 0.25 0.07 CD (P=0.05) 0.21 7.89 0.27 3.28 0.65 0.65 0.22 CV (%) 1.95 3.44 3.50 4.15 3.39 3.39 6.35 Fig 1 : Evaluation of tuberose genotypes for concrete content on fresh weight basis J. Hortic. Sci. Vol. 18(1) : 60-66, 2023 Evaluation of tuberose genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 for yield and quality 64 Table 3 : Evaluation of tuberose genotypeIIHR-23 SP 08 with checks for leaf burn disease incidence under field condition Genotype Screening for leaf burn disease* Root knot nematode Screening** IIHR-23 SP 08 9.79 (18.24) 1.31 Mexican Single 19.20 (26.00) 2.42 Arka Prajwal 21.33 (27.52) 2.14 GK-TC-4 15.23 (22.98) 1.68 Phule Rajani 23.59 (29.06) 1.53 Bidhan Ujwal 21.10 (27.36) 1.38 Calcutta Single 13.00 (21.14) 1.51 SEm± - 0.11 CD (P=0.05) - 0.34 CV (%) - 10.95 *Disease severity scale (Narayanappa and Chandra,1984); **Gall index (Taylor and Sasser,1978); Figures in parenthesis are arc sine transformed values makeup of the particular genotype as reported by Gandhi et al. (2019) in tuberose. The per cent disease index and host reaction of tuberose genotypes against leaf burn disease caused by A. polianthi under field conditions was recorded for two yea r s . T he r esu lts indic a ted tha t the tuberose genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 was tolerant to leaf burn disease as compared to commercial check Arka Prajwal and local check Mexican Single (Table 3). The results are in line with the findings of Mazumdar et al. (2021) in tuberose who has observed the genetic inherent variation among the genotypes for A. polianthi leaf burn disease. The quality traits of tuberose genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 (Fig. 2) along with other genotypes have been presented in the Table 4. All the tuberose genotypes under study belong to single type. The flower/bud size was medium in IIHR 17 23SP 08 and GK-TC-4, large in Arka Prajwal and small in Mexican Single, Phule Rajani, Bidhan Ujwal and Calcutta Single. The tinge on the tip of the bud was green in all the genotypes except Arka Prajwal. Table 4 : Quality traits of tuberose genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 (IC0642158) with checks Genotype Flower type Flower/bud size Tinge on bud Nature of spike IIHR 17 23SP 08 Single Medium Green Straight Mexican Single Single Small Green Slight bent Arka Prajwal Single Large Pink Straight GK-TC-4 Single Medium Green Straight Phule Rajani Single Small Green Straight Bidhan Ujwal Single Small Green Crooked Calcutta Single Single Small Green Slight bent Flower spikes of IIHR 17 23SP 08 Matured buds with green tinge on the tip Fully opened medium size flower Fig. 2 : Tuberose genotype IIHR 17 23SP 08 (IC0642158) Bharathi et al. J. Hortic. Sci. Vol. 18(1) : 60-66, 2023 65 CONCLUSION On the basis of two years of evaluation of seven genotypes for growth, flowering, flower, bulb, concrete yield and biotic stresses, the tuberose genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 was found promising and novel for its single type medium size flowers having white (RHS colour: NNI55D, white group, Fan 4) flower buds with green tinge on the tip, more number of flower buds per kg (approx. 725), more number of spikes (8.47) and bulbs (8.94) per clump per year and high loose flower yield (18.88 t/ha/year). It has resistance to root knot nematode and is tolerant to leaf burn disease under field condition. Based on the study, the genotype IIHR 17-23SP-08 can be recommended as loose flower for garland purpose and for concrete extraction. REFERENCES Anonymous 2021. Final estimates of 2020-21 Area and Production of Horticulture Crops. https:/ /a gricoop.nic.in/sites/defa ult/files/202021 %20 (Final) %20 Advance %20 Estimates % 202020-21 %20(1). pdf. 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Biology, identification and control of root knot nematode Meloidogyne spp. Nor th Ca r olina Sta te University Graphics, Raleigh, NC, p.111. Vijayalaxmi, G.P. and Lakshmidevamma, T.N. 2016. Evaluation of tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) varieties for quality traits. Adv. Life Sci., 5(12): 5370-5371. (Received : 20.09.2022; Revised : 14.02.2023; Accepted 31.03.2023) Bharathi et al. J. Hortic. Sci. Vol. 18(1) : 60-66, 2023