Dendrobium cv. Sonia 17 is an important commercially cultivated varietyand there is a decline in the yield and quality of the spikes during the colder months of winter and during peak summers. The fluctuations in spike production and quality due to temperature stress can be effectively countered by a change in nutrition management of the crop. At flowering stage, increasing the P levels in the foliar nutrition, improved the yield and quality.
Biweekly foliar spray of 1:6:1 NPK in the form of water soluble specialty fertilisers @ 0.2% at flowering stage resulted in:
- Higher yield of spikes per plant per year (9.11) as compared to control (6.11) that is an increase of 49%
- Better flower spike quality (length of spike-62.05cm as against 51.13 cm in control ie., increase of 21.35% and 13.02 florets per spike as against 8.43 in control ie., an increase of 54.4%).
- This technology recorded a benefit cost ratio of 3.74 compared to 2.12 in control