International Journal of Agricultural

Science and Research (IJASR)

ISSN(P): 2250-0057; ISSN(E): 2321-0087
Vol. 6, Issue 3, Jun 2016, 195-200
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

IMPACT OF PUSA HYDROGEL INCORPORATED GROWING MEDIA ON FLORAL

CHARACTERS AND YIELD OF POT MUMS (DENDRANTHEMA GRANDIFLORA L.)
UNDER VARIOUS IRRIGATION REGIMES
A. TARUN KUMAR1, P. LALITHA KAMESWARI2 & A. GIRWANI3
1,3

Y.S.R Horticultural University, Department of Horticulture Science, College of

Horticulture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India
2

Y.S.R Horticultural University, Floricultural Research Station, Agricultural

Research Institute, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India

ABSTRACT

under various irrigation regimes, an experiment was conducted in the Floricultural Research Station, Rajendranagar,
Dr.Y.S.R. Horticultural University in factorial layout based on completely randomized design (FCRD) in three
replications. The factors were eight potting media compositions viz; P1:Red earth + FYM + Sand + Vermicompost + Pusa
Hydrogel @ 0.1%, P2:Red earth + FYM + Sand + Vermicompost + Pusa Hydrogel @ 0.3%, P3:Red earth + FYM + Sand+
Vermicompost + Pusa Hydrogel @ 0.5%,P4:Red earth + FYM+ Sand + Cocopeat+ Pusa Hydrogel @ 0.1%, P5:Red earth+
FYM + Sand + Cocopeat + Pusa Hydrogel @ 0.3%, P6 : Red earth + FYM + Sand + Cocopeat + Pusa Hydrogel @ 0.5%,

Original Article

To investigate the influence of Pusa hydrogel incorporated growing media on floral characters of pot mums

P7 : Red earth + FYM + Sand + Pusa Hydrogel @ 0.5% , P8 : Red earth + FYM + Sand (control) and three irrigation
regimes viz; I1 : 3 days interval, I2 : 6 days interval, I3 : 9 days interval.
The statistical analysis of results showed that different concentrations of hydrogels, irrigation intervals and
their interaction have influenced the floral characters of pot mums. Potting media having composition of vermicompost
with 0.5% Hydrogel along with common potting mixture (Red earth+FYM+Sand) has recorded the best results for days
taken to first flower bud appearance, inflorescence width, yield attributes, diameter of flower, average flower weight and
duration of flowering. Regarding vase life no significant difference was observed between the pusa hydrogel growing
media and irrigation intervals. The results of this study showed that inclusion of hydrogels in potting media can improve
the water availability and thereby improves the floral parameters of plants especially that are grown in pots
KEYWORDS: Floral Characters, Statistical Analysis, Composition Of Vermicompost

Received: Apr 01, 2016; Accepted: Apr 13, 2016; Published: Apr 26, 2016; Paper Id.: IJASRJUN2016023

INTRODUCTION
Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora L.) often called mums is a herbaceous perennial flowering
plant, extensively grown all over the world for its beautiful charming flowers with an excellent vase life. With an
increasing demand for container grown ornamental plants with in the country and for shipment to foreign countries,
the pot mums production has become the most profitable form of commercial chrysanthemum cultivation. Economy
of space, time, material etc has made this style of growing very promising and an excellent range of colour, form,
long lasting quality of blooms and ease in handling make them most popular. Unlike the open field conditions, the
potted plants are highly susceptible to water stress due to less volume of soil available for their growth. Frequent
watering to restricted soil volumes in potted plants causes leaching and the selection of media components should be
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A. Tarun Kumar, P. Lalitha Kameswari & A. Girwani

in such a way that they maintain high moisture and aeration and nutrient retention. Much efforts are required for such
frequent irrigations which makes of this sort of potted plants expensive.
Hydrophilic gels, or hydrogels, which are commonly known as superabsorbents, are crosslinked polymers that
can absorb 400 to 1500 times their dry weight in water, due to network spaces created by its cross linked structures.
Several beneficial effects of hydrogels include reduced fertigation requirements of the crop, improved aeration and
drainage, improved physical properties of soil and soil less media, reduced water requirements, helps the plant to withstand
prolonged moisture stress, better root development and increased yields.
Thus, based on the positive properties of hydrogels, the following study was carried out to know the influence of
these hydrogels on vegetative characters of pot mums under various irrigation regimes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present investigation was carried out at FRS, Hyderabad, Dr. Y.S.R Horticultural University, during the year
2014-15 in a factorial completely randomized block design with two factors and three replications. All the pots in eight
treatments were filled in common potting mixture comprised of Red earth, FYM and sand in the ratio of 2:1:1. Either
vermicompost or cocopeat along with hydrogel at 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5% concentrations were mixed to form different
treatmental combinations. The second factor includes irrigations at 3, 6 and 9 days intervals. Chrysanthemum cultivar
Seedling Red was used as planting material. The Pusa hydrogel polymer was tested by Teabag method and it was used as
per the treatments.
Swelling Measurement by Teabag Method
Swelling measurements of hydrogel was done using tea bag method. Pusa hydrogel of 1gram (dry weight) was
weighed and filled in a tea bag with average particle sizes of 350 m mesh and immersed entirely in 200ml of distilled
water and allowed to soak for 3 hours at room temperature. The tea bag was hung up for 15 min in order to remove the
excess fluid. The water retained in the gel was almost 20 times its dry weight.
The Water retention value (WRV) was measured twice using the following equation

Where, W2 and W1 are the weights of swollen hydrogel and dry hydrogel in grams, respectively.
Chlorophyll content in leaves was measured by SPAD-502 meter. Sampling for biomass of plants was done at the
end of the crop period excluding the weight of the flowers. Average fresh weight of the tagged plants was recorded
immediately after uprooting. Dry weight of the tagged plants was recorded after oven drying of the fresh plants (without
flowers) at 60 C till they recorded constant weight. Growth and yield attributes were recorded and analysed as per the
procedure outlined by Panse and Sukhamte (1985).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The results showed that the effect of irrigation intervals and application of hydrogel with potting mixture on most
of the evaluated properties were significant. The interaction effects of irrigation intervals and hydrogel was significant with
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.7987

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Impact of Pusa Hydrogel Incorporated Growing Media on Floral Characters and

Yield of Pot Mums (Dendranthema Grandiflora L.) Under Various Irrigation Regimes

197

regards to inflorescene width of the plant. The comparison of the average of simple effects of hydrogel on the studied
characters (Table 1) showed that positive effect of this substance in improving the floral parameters and yield in terms of
highest total yield of flowers, inflorescene width, number of flowers per spray, number of sprays per plant, diameter of
flower, average flower weight and duration of flowering. The highest, total number of flowers per plant (75.91),
inflorescence width (30.68 cm), number of flowers per spray (8.69), number of sprays per plant (8.60), diameter of flower
(1.23 cm), average flower weight (0.92 g), duration of flowering (47.57 days) and minimum days taken for the appearance
of first flower bud (51.46 days) were obtained with the application of hydrogel at 0.5% concentration along with
vermicompost. Influence of irrigation intervals on the observed characters (Table 2) showed that the total yield of flowers
per plant (58.92), inflorescene width (27.52 cm),number of flowers per spray (7.59), number of sprays per plant (7.49),
diameter of flower(1.17 cm), average flower weight (0.75 cm), duration of flowering (45.98 days) and minimum days
taken for the appearance of first flower bud (60.07 days) were highest by applying irrigations at an interval of 6 days. In
treatment composition of, without hydrogel application (control) and irrigation interval of every 9 days, the attributes
recorded minimum values. There was no significant difference among the hydrogel growing media, irrigation intervals as
well as the interaction between hydrogel growing media and irrigation intervals with respect to vase life.
Drought stress as a disturbing factor in plant physiology affects the flowering attributes of a plant. The results of
this study showed that increasing irrigation interval has negative effect on floral parameters and flower yield. By increasing
irrigation interval inflorescence width, number of flowers per spray, number of sprays per plant, diameter of flower,
average flower weight and duration of flowering were reduced (Table 2). The effect of water stress in reducing the growth
of various parts of plant and yield in pepper was reported by Doraji et al. 2005 and Abayomi et al. (2012) which are in
agreement with the findings of this study.
Early appearance of first flower bud was noticed in P3 (51.46 days) which may be due to the potting mixture
containing hydrogel along with vermicompost acted as best substrate for better aeration and water retentive capabilities as
it helps in giving quick hold of the cuttings and triggers faster growth as also reported by Kadam et al., (2007) in gerbera.
The width of inflorescence increased with increasing concentration of hydrogel. This may be due to the substantial effect
of hydrogel to shortage of water during deficit irrigations. Optimum availability of water during flowering period increased
the width of inflorescence and enhanced flowering.
In the current study the yield of flowers increased with the increase in the concentration of hydrogel and at
optimum irrigation interval of 6 days. By applying hydrogel, humidity fluctuations were reduced, thereby plant growth was
increased. It is obvious that continuous plant growth and reduction of drought stress influenced the plant and consequently
its yield is increased (Mohammad et al., 2012). Superabsorbent polymer can increase soils water holding capacity with
delaying water stress in plants and providing a buffer against product loss during the time between two irrigations. (Hanieh
et al., 2013) Researches of Yazdani et al., (2007) showed that application of super absorbent polymer under drought stress
increased the grain yield and total dry weight of soyabean.
With the increased concentrations of hydrogel in different combinations of potting media there was simultaneous
increase in flower diameter which may be related to the optimum growing conditions of the medium i.e. lower bulk
density, high porosity, high water holding capacity as well as better nutrient uptake (Aswath and Padmanabha, 2004;
Sindhu et al., 2010).

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A. Tarun Kumar, P. Lalitha Kameswari & A. Girwani

The results of this experiment showed that the polymer increased the flower weight at all irrigation intervals. The
plants which grew in potting media with 0.5% hydrogel had higher flower weight compared to control. Water deficit
reduced flower weight significantly which may be due to the negative effect of drought stress on current photosynthesis
and remobilization, decreasing the mobilization of photosynthetic materials to the developing flowers. Higher weight,
resulting from more irrigation, was probably due to the availability of adequate soil moisture and assimilates from source
to sink during flower formation. The results were in accordance to those obtained by Mekki et al., 1999; Goksoy et al.,
2004; Chimenti et al., 2002.
The duration of flowering increased with increased concentration of hydrogel which may be due to significant
amount of water in hydrogel structure and subsequently, putting the absorbed water into the soil around plant roots, thereby
increasing soils water holding capacity and providing a buffer against the product loss during the time between two
irrigations (Johnson et al., 1990). Because of the uninterrupted water availability, plants obtained continuous supply of
water and nutrients and thereby resulted in prolonged flowering period compared to control plants.

CONCLUSIONS
The results indicated that water stress significantly decreased yield and had negative effect on various floral
parameters, whereas the application of hydrogel moderated the negative effect of deficit irrigation on flowering attributes
and productivity. This effect is due to the considerable absorption of water in super absorbent structure and putting gradual
absorbed water to surrounding soil and plant root. Based on the results of this study and durability of super absorbent
polymer in soil, we can say that using this matter not only under drought stress conditions but also under adequate
irrigation conditions can increase the yield besides compensating its purchase costs and benefits.
REFERENCES
1.

Abayomi, Y. A., Aduloju, M. O., Egbewunmi, M. A., Suleiman, B. O. 2002. Effects of soil moisture contents and rates of NPK
fertilizer application on growth and fruit yields of pepper (Capsicum spp.) genotypes, International Journal of Agriculture
Science, Vol. 2 No. 7: pp. 651- 663

2.

Aswath, C and Padmanabha, P. 2004. Effect of cocopeat medium and electrical conductivity on production of gerbera.
Journal of Ornamental Horticulture. 7:15-22.

3.

Chimenti, C, Pearson, A and Hall, J. 2002. Osmotic adjustment and yield maintenance

under drought in sunflower. Field

Crops Research. 75: 235-246

4.

Doraji K, Behboundian MH, Zegbe-Dominguez J A (2005). Water relations, growth, yield and fruit quality of hot pepper
under deficit irrigation and partial rootzone drying, Scientia Horticulturae, Vol. 104: pp. 137-149

5.

Goksoy, A.T, Demir, A.O, Turan, Z.M, Dagustu, N. 2004. Responses of sunflower to

limited irrigation at different growth

stages. Filed Crops Research, 87:167-178

6.

Hanieh, J, Ali, M.T, Shahram, S and Naser, N. 2013. Evaluation the effect of different medias, superabsorbent polymers and
irrigation period on increasing water holding (storage) and delaying permanent wilting point in (Lysimachia nummularia
cv. Aurea). Annals of Biological Research. 4 (4):29-31

7.

Johnson, M.S. 1990. Effect of soluble salts on water absorption by gel forming soil conditioners. J. Sci. Food Agric., 35:
10636

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.7987

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Impact of Pusa Hydrogel Incorporated Growing Media on Floral Characters and

Yield of Pot Mums (Dendranthema Grandiflora L.) Under Various Irrigation Regimes
8.

199

Kadam, U.S, Takteand, R.L and Deshmukh, M.R. 2007. Effect of different media on performance of gerbera under polyhouse.
Journall of Maharashtra Agricultural University 32: 329-331.

9.

Mekki, B.B, Kholy M.A. and Mohamed, E.M. 1999. Yield oil and fatty acids content as affected by waterdeficit and potassium
fertilization into sunflower cultivars. Egyptian Journal of Agronomy, 21: 67-85

10. Mohammad, S and Fardin, G. 2012. Effects of super absorbent polymer a200 on the growth, yield and some physiological
responses in sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under various irrigation regimes. International Journal of Agricultural and
Food Research. ISSN 19290969
0969 | Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 111
1
11. Panse, V.G and Sukhatme, P.V. 1985.
1985 Statistical Methods for Agricultural Workers.

Indian

Council

of

Agricultural

Research, New Delhi.

12. Sindhu, S.S, Gholap D.B, Singh, M.C and Dhiman, M.R. 2010. Effect of medium amendments on growth and flowering in
gerbera. Indian Journal of Horticulture. 67 (Special Issue): 391-394.
13. Yazdani, F, I. Allahdadi and Akbari, G.A. 2007. Impact of superabsorbent polymer on yield and growth analysis of soybean
(Glycine max L.) under drought stress condition. Pakistan Journal of Biological Science. 10(23): 4190-4196.
4190

APPENDICES

Figure 1: Pusa Hydrogel Crystals

Figure 2: Swollen Hydrogels

Table 1: Mean Comparison for Floral Characters of Pot Mums as

Influenced by Pusa Hydrogel Incorporated Growing Media

Figures with same alphabets did not differ significantly

P1 Red earth + FYM + Sand + Vermicompost + Pusa Hydrogel 0.1%

P5 Red earth + FYM + Sand

+ Cocopeat + Pusa Hydrogel 0.3%

P2 Red earth + FYM + Sand + Vermicompost + Pusa Hydrogel 0.3%

P6 Red earth + FYM + Sand +

Cocopeat + Pusa Hydrogel 0.5%

P3 Red earth + FYM + Sand + Vermicompost + Pusa Hydrogel 0.5%

P7 Red earth + FYM + Sand +

Pusa Hydrogel 0.5%

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A. Tarun Kumar, P. Lalitha Kameswari & A. Girwani

P4 Red earth + FYM + Sand + Cocopeat + Pusa Hydrogel 0.1%

P8 Red earth + FYM + Sand

(control)

Table 2: Mean Comparison for Floral Characters as Influenced by Irrigation Intervals

Irrigation
Intervals
(I)

Days taken Number of Number of

to First
Flowers
Flowers
Flower bud
per Spray
per Plant
Appearance
61.17a
6.67b
49.98b
I1
a
a
60.07
7.59
58.92a
I2
c
c
63.44
5.42
36.11c
I3
Figures with same alphabets did not differ significantly
I1 3 days irrigation interval

Number
of Sprays
per Plant

Diameter
of
Flower
(cm)
1.13b
1.17a
1.12b

7.16a
7.49a
6.29c

I2 6 days irrigation interval

Average
Flower
Weight
(g)
0.73ab
0.75a
0.71b

Duration of
Flowering
(Days)

Vase
Life
(Days)

44.86b
45.98a
44.00c

15.72
17.24
13.45

I3 9 days irrigation interval

Figure 3: Yield Attributes as Influenced by Pusa Hydrogel under Various Irrigation Intervals
P1Red earth+FYM+Sand+Vermicompost+Pusa Hydrogel 0.1%

P5Red earth+FYM+Sand+Cocopeat+Pusa
Hydrogel 0.3%

P2- Red earth+FYM+Sand+Vermicompost+Pusa Hydrogel 0.3%

P6Red earth+FYM+Sand+Cocopeat+Pusa
Hydrogel 0.5%

P3Red earth+FYM+Sand+Vermicompost+Pusa Hydrogel 0.5%

P7 Red earth+FYM+Sand+Pusa
Hydrogel 0.5%

P4Red earth+FYM+Sand+Cocopeat+Pusa Hydrogel 0.1%

P8 Red earth+FYM+Sand (control)

I1 3 days irrigation interval

I3 9 days irrigation interval

Impact Factor (JCC): 4.7987

I2 6 days irrigation interval

NAAS Rating: 3.53