Nerium and Celosia - introduction and uses – varieties - soil and climate and planting systems - weed, nutrition and irrigation management – training and pruning –role of growth regulators- harvest index and yield

1. Nerium and Celosia - introduction and uses – varieties - soil
and climate and planting systems - weed, nutrition and
irrigation management – training and pruning –role of
growth regulators- harvest index and yield
Dr. M. Kumaresan
Assistant professor
Dept. of Horticulture
Adhiparasakthi Horticultural College
Lecture No.:8

2. Nerium
B. Name: Nerium oleander
 Family: Apocynaceae
Origin: Southwest Asia
2n=22
Common name: Oleander, Rosebay

3. Uses
 Used as loose flower
 Ornamental plant in landscapes, parks and along roadsides
 Also used for screens, informal hedges, beach plantings
 Oleander is used in medicine
 Oleander is sometimes applied to the skin to treat skin problems
 Wood preservative
 Anti-bacterial properties

4. Varieties
Based on plant Height
Tall types : Single Rose, Single White, Single Red, Double types
Dwarf types : Petite Salmon, Petite Pink
Based on No’ of whorls of Petals : Single and double types
Based on Colour : Pinks, Salmon, Red, Novels, Yellow, Variegated leaves

5. Climate
 Tropical and subtropical conditions
 Grows best in full sun locations
 Sparse flowering in shade
 Cannot live in areas below freezing temperatures
 Drought tolerant
Soil
 Red lateritic or black or loamy soils
 Adequate drainage
 pH:6.1 to 7.8
 Hardy to metals in soils

6. PROPAGATION
• Cuttings are 10-15 cm in height and 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter.
• The months of June – July which gives 100% success.
• The cuttings are ready for planting in 45 to 60 days.
• Air layering is also used for propagation.

7. SPACING
• Rooted cuttings can also be planted in the normal manner
• 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm pit size dug at 2 x 2 m spacing and
filled with FYM, red earth and top soil.
• Planting density – cuttings 2500/hectare.

8. Irrigation
 Drought tolerant
 Done once in 10-15 days
Biofertilizers:
 Soil application of 2 kg /ha each of Azospirillum and
Phosphobacteria at the time of planting.
 It is to be mixed with 100kg of FYM and applied in pits

9. NUTRITION
• No chemical fertilizers are normally applied.
• FYM @ 20 t /ha is applied in 2 equal splits during January
and August
• Quantity of 20:30:40 kg/ha NPK in one split dose the plants
are planting during the rainy season for better establishment

10. PRUNING
• 1st year - Remove one third of old mature stems near ground
level.
• 2nd year - Remove one half of the remaining old stems and
cut back long new shoots.
• 3rd year - Remove remaining old stems and cut back long
new shoots.

11.  "Suckers“ or water sprouts may develop along the lower
portions of main stems or from roots
 Tip pruning to remove old flower clusters will increase the
number of blooming tips
 Dwarf cultivars occasionally grow tall shoots that must be
removed to maintain the planting as a ground cover. Dead
wood should be removed when noticed

12. Flowering season
• Flowering commences throughout the year
• Peak flowering between April to August.
Harvest
• Harvest time early morning & late evening.
• Harvesting begins from the 4th month after planting.
Yield
• An approximate yield of 100 - 125 kg of flowers/ha/day can
be obtained.
• 5-10t/ha

13. POST HARVEST TECHNOLOGIES
• The best stage of harvesting depends on the cultivar and the
distance from market.
• For long distance transport partially open flower are more
suitable
• Flower can be allowed to open on the plant belong harvesting
for local sales.

14. Packaging
Packing

15. Insect pest

16. Aphids (Aphis nerii)
 This aphid is specific to oleander and milkweed
 Spring
 Young and adults colonize around the growing shoots and leaves and suck
the sap
 Systemic insecticides like Acephate , Dimethoate

17. Oleander Catterpillar (Syntomeida epilais)
• The caterpillars are voracious feeders
• If severe they may defoliate the entire plant
• Use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) when caterpillars are small
• Insecticides like Dichlorovas, Chloropyriphos

18. Sphingid caterpillar, Deilephila nerii
• Caterpillar feed on the leaves
• Defoliation
• Handpicking and destruction of caterpillars
• Expose the pupae by deep ploughing
• Encourage predatory birds by erecting bird perches
• Spray phosalone 35 EC 1 ml/lit

19. Scales
• Small sap sucking insects
• The leaves may fade and become dry or disfigured and drop
off the plant
• Scale insects excrete a sticky substance called honeydew
• Application of carbofeuron@10g/plant and spray of
chloropyriphos or methyl parathion @0.05% in combination
with Pongamia oil 0.05%

20. Thrips
 Puncture flower petals and foliage and crawl inside to feed
on the innermost tissue
 Flowers discoloured and deformed
 leaves lose colour, then wither or darken as if scorched.
 spray with insecticidal soap or apply a pyrethrum-based
insecticide.
 Insecticides with acephate, imidicloprid, spinosad offer
control of thrips hatchlings

21. Diseases

22. Sphaeropsis gall (Sphaeropsis tumefaciens)
• Symptoms range from woody galls to witches broom”
• Horizontal branches can “tip up”
• Pruning may allow it to spread rapidly by transferring the fungus and
allowing an entry point into the plant
Control
• Prune branches at least 6 inches below symptoms
• dip pruning tools in alcohol before use
• Severely infected plants should be removed and destroyed
• No chemical fungicides are available
• No cultivars are known to be resistant to this diseases

23. Boron Deficiency Symptoms
• Young and newly developing leaves become deformed called as little leaf
• The apical shoot exhibits blackening and death. Malformation of
reproductive structures
Correction Measure
• Foliar spray of borax@ 0.2%

24. Celosia
 Scientific Name : Celosia sp.
 Family : Amaranthaceae
 Chromosome No. : 2n=36
 Origin : India
Tropical region of Africa & America
• Cockscomb is mostly used for loose flower
• Most common colors are red, yellow, cream, orange, rose, deep magenta and
pink.

25. Crested type
• Crested celosia or Cockscomb or Moragphul or Chi Kuan
• Flower heads : purple, deep red, wine red, gold, and yellow gold
• Flowers are look like folds of elegant French ribbon
 Darker on the outside, lighter colored inside
• 45-92 cm tall
• The leaves are either green or maroon.
Celosia cristata

26. Crested Type Cultivars
Toreador
– 18-20 inch tall
– Bright red comb
– 12 inch across
Yellow Toreador
– Yellow companion to ‘Toreador’
• Jewel box, Century mix, New Look, and Pink Castle

27. Plume type
Fluffy, feathery heads & blooms in mid-spring to summer
Inflorescence pink to light violet & leaves are dark green than other cultivars
Cultivars
 Century, Forest Fire
 Kimono cultivars
 Prince of Wales Feathers
 Sparkler Mix
C. plumosa

28. Wheat type
• Spiked cockscomb or Rocket
• In India and China it is known as a troublesome weed.
• Not much branched
• It has a tendency to shatter when dried
Celosia spicata

29. Wheat Type Cultivars
Flamingo Feather
36-48 inch tall
White plume with pink top
Flamingo Purple
36-48 inch tall
Purple plume
Good colour retention when dried
Tassles Deep Rose
36-48 inch tall
Pink – purple colour

30. Soil
• Sandy loam
• pH 6.5 to 8.8 (optimum pH: 6.8-7.8)
• Tolerance : heat, cold, drought, salinity
• Sensitivity : flooding

31. Climate
• Peak season is June - September
• Celosia is basically short-day plant.
• Grows well in both tropical and sub tropical climate.
• Optimum temperature is 20° - 22ºC
• It is vital to keep the night temperature above 20°C as well.
– Note : If the (night) temperatures are too low, this may lead to more cell
stretching and a less uniform crop.

32. The light requirement for plug production is 26,900 Lux in the first three stages and
54,000 Lux in the final stage of growth
The temperature for planting through start of flower development should be
17-18°C during nights and 18-24°C during days.
The total time from transplant to flowering is 10-14 weeks.
Once flower development starts the temperature can be dropped to 15°C during nights
and 16°C during days.
( Sakata, 2015)

33. Photoperiod
Celosia is an obligate short day plant and is best sown in early April under
increasing day length to promote sufficient vegetative growth prior to
flowering.
If sown in mid-June the plants will sense increasing short days and begin
to flower in mid-August on shorter plants.
Blackout
In order to promote flower bud induction 14 hours of blackout are
required. (from 6 pm until 8 am. Response time is 6.5 - 7 weeks)

34. Planting
• Direct sowing
• Transplanting
• Tall -30×30 cm
• Dwarf-30×15 cm
Spacing
Propagation: By Seeds
Seed rate : 1.5 – 2 kg/ha
Sown in raised beds.
Transplanting : 25-30 days after sowing
Sowing Season
Rainy season : May-June
Summer season :Jan-Feb
Planting

35. Weed and irrigation management
weeding is required 1–2 weeding are needed before the start
of flowering.
Irrigation is optional during the rainy season.
During the dry season, depending on the severity of heat and
evapotranspiration, 2 irrigations per week are recommended

36. Manures and Fertilizer Growth regulators
• FYM: 25-30 t / ha
• NPK: 150:200:150 kg/ ha
• Pure Cycocel 1-1.5 %
• 80% Cycocel, 20% Tilt
– For inhibitory purpose
Nutrition

37. Special Horticultural Practices:
Pinching
- To obtain the maximum number of multiple flower heads for
crested and plume type Celosias, pinch plants 2 weeks after
transplanting.
- This will promote branching and multiple, small flower
heads.

38. Harvesting Yield
• Central part of the
inflorescence starts opening
• But should harvest before
starting colour fading of the
peripheral region.
• Flower
– 6.5 to 7.5 t/ha
• Seed
– 200-700 kg/ha
– 1000-1200 seeds/g
• Vase life: 5-7 days
Harvesting & Yield

39. Pest
Aphids and thrips
Cause stunting and deformed flower heads.
Control : Spray Abamectin 0.5 ml/l, and Dimethoate 0. 2%,
Caterpillars
Feed voraciously on leaves, making holes and ragged edges until often
only the tattered leaf skeletons are left.
Control:Spraying of Endosolfon (Thiodan, Thionex) @ 0.05%
Red spider mite
Fine light speckling, or pale yellow spots on the upper surface of the
leaves. June to September – Severe infestation
Control: Abamectin 1.9 EC @ 0.5 ml/l or Propargite @ 2 ml/l

40. Diseases:
White rust (Albugo blitii) - considered the most serious fungal diseases affecting
C. argentea. Causes white pustules on the undersides of the leaves with chlorotic lesions on
top, and seriously damages grown plants
Control: Spray Azoxystrobin @ 1ml/l + Tebuconazole @ 0.75 g/l.
Cercospora leaf spot - causes red-rimmed grey spots on the leaves.
Control: spray Dithane M45 (0.2 %)
Alternaria leaf spot and charcoal rot cause dark spots on the leaves
Spray Macozeb @ 2g/l or Difenoconazole @ 0.5ml/l.