BOP and Ornamental gingers -Production technology

BOP & Ornamental gingers - introduction and uses – varieties – media and environment- filed preparation - planting systems – nutrition and fertigation - weed management – training and pruning – special horticultural practices - role of growth regulators- physiological disorders and its control measures- harvest index and yield

1. BOP & Ornamental gingers - introduction and uses – varieties – media and
environment- filed preparation - planting systems – nutrition and fertigation - weed
management – training and pruning – special horticultural practices - role of growth
regulators- physiological disorders and its control measures- harvest index and yield
Lecture No.: 23

2. Introduction
Scientific name: Strelitzia reginae
Family : Strelitziaceae
king's wife Queen
Origin: South Africa
Commonly known as a crane flower
•The name comes from the remarkably shaped and coloured flower
cluster, like the crested head of a bird
•Grown in moderate subtropical climate
•The brilliant colours and unusual appearance of the flowers get popular
as cut flower
•Used in the background of a herbaceous border, in front of a shrubbery
or along the side of a tank of lily pool

3. •The major producing countries of bird-of-paradise on commercial
scale are USA, Israel and South Africa
•Evergreen perennial herbaceous plant
•The plants are rhizomatous, sometimes with erect woody stem
•The bracts are large spathe like, boat shaped, acuminated and solitary
at the end of the scape
•The flowers with orange sepals and purple petals
are very brilliant, emerging from the purplish spathes

Introduction

4. Bird of Paradise - Flower
•The inflorescence stalk is 700 mm tall with 4–6 flowers
that emerge from a boat-shaped spathe

•The flowers consist of
3 orange sepals and 3 bright
blue petals

•The fruit is a capsule

5. Strelitzia reginae
•It is a clump forming perennial of about 1meter wide, stems
grow up to 90 cm high, leaf stalk about 45 cm long and leaf
blade about the same length.
•It produces flowers most of the year, but blooms most heavily
from winter to spring, bearing flowers of red, yellow, orange
and purple
Common Bird of Paradise

6. Strelitzia augusta (syn. Strelitzia alba)
•The inflorescence is composed of 2 spathes, from the middle of which
emerge white flowers
•It reaches up to 5 meter tall with long
(60-90 cm) and oblong leaves
White Bird of Paradise

7. Giant Bird of Paradise and Natal Wild Banana
Strelitzia nicholai
•This is known as the Giant Bird of Paradise because it can grow
into a tree with multiple stems; also called as white Bird of
Paradise as it bears large flower predominantly white with dark
blue-purple accents.

8. African Desert Banana

Strelitzia caudate
•It is commonly known as the Swaziland Strelitzia or African Desert
Banana
•It is unbranched and multi-stemmed that reach up to 6 meter tall
•It can be planted as a focal
point in mid-size to large garden

9. Narrow-Leaved Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia juncea
•It is also called as leafless Bird of Paradise as it lacks leaf
blades, leaves and stems look like reeds.
•Produces orange and blue
flowers in winter and early spring.
•The species is slow growing and
takes 3-4 years to flower

10. Soil
Strelitzia prefers well drained loamy soil with a pH of
approximately 7.5 and rich in organic matter.
It has got high drought tolerance but poor soil salt tolerance.
Light
Bird of paradise can be grown in full sun or
semi-shaded light condition.
Low light intensity may cause flower abortion,
whereas too much exposure to too much sunlight,
especially summer may scorch the leaves.

11. Temperature
•The optimum temperature required for the growth and development of
Bird of Paradise at day time is 20-25
o
C and night temperature should
not be less than 10
o
C.

•They are sensitive to cold and need to be sheltered from frost as it can
damage flowers and leaves although for a short period, it can tolerate
lower and higher temperature without affecting the flower quality.

•A temperature higher than above 27°C tends to promote leaf production
and inhibit flowering.

12. Seed
•Seeds must be sown while they are fresh.
•Soaking of seeds in water and keeping at room temperature for 3-4
days prior to planting helps in easy germination.
•While sowing, potting mixture should be moist and warm and can
germinate in a 25-30 days depending upon soil temperature and seed
freshness.
•Plants grown from seeds may take five to seven years to give economic
yield.
Propagation

13. Separation of offsets

•Bird of paradise suckers freely, if plants are crowded in the
garden or pot, it produces less number of flowers per plant or
it will stop flowering.
•So, offsets can be separated to make new plants

14. Division of clumps
•The clump of mature plants that have been previously flowered for
at least three years can be divided in spring prior to new growth.
•Lift the plant from the ground or pot and separate the underground
rhizomes with a sharp knife making sure that each section contains
a fan with the roots.
•The divided plants can be replanted in similar locations, at the same
depth as previous plant.
•Newly planted plant should be watered thoroughly.
•Similarly, planting can be done in individual pot
containing fertile and well drained soil.

15. Planting
•Generally February, August and September months are optimum
time for planting
•The plants can be cultivated in open fields and pots
•Pits of 90 x 90 x 90 cm are prepared and filled with soil, sand and
farmyard manure at the ratio of 1: 1: 1.
•Planting For commercial cultivation, planting may be done 60 x 60
cm apart with a planting density of 4 plants per m
2
.
•Planting should be done either during
late spring or early summer
•4000-4500 plants/ ac is recommended

16. Nutrition Management
•Liquid nutrient feeding improves the growth and flowering of
Strelitzia
•Spraying of plants with a liquid nutrient solution containing 6
g superphosphate and 3 g potassium nitrate per litre of water
for three months at an interval of 10 days was found very
effective
•At the time of flowering a spray of liquid nutrient solution
containing 5g of DAP/l or 3g potassium sulphate and 4g of
urea /2 l

17. Irrigation
•It is also known that it is a semi aquatic plant which consumes
grand quantities of water
•The first watering should be done immediately after planting
•Afterwards it depends on plant's demand, surrounding
conditions and soil type

18. Flowering

•Plants of Strelitzia reginae starts flowering in 4 to 6 years
•Inflorescence appears in the leaf axil
•Flowering period: Sep - May
•Flowering peak : Oct - Dec

19. Pest and Disease Management
•It is relatively pest and disease free plant

Root rot Disease
•Caused by Fusarium monoliforme is a seed borne disease & by over
watering
•Pre soaking of seeds in water at room temperature followed by hot
water (135°F) treatment for 30 minutes controls the disease

20. Pests
Mealy bugs :- (Planococcus cirri and Pseudococus adonidum)
Scales:- (Aspidiotis camolliae)
•Spraying with Methyl parathion50ec@1ml/lit.

Aphids:- Aphis craccivora in the greenhouse.
Leaf eating caterpillar:- Caterpillar feed on young leaves before they
unfold
•Spray nuvacron@1ml/lit

Flower beetle :- Clinteria klug , C.spilota
•adult damage by feeding on flowers
•Spray methyl parathion@2ml/lit

21. Harvest
•Harvesting method: Flower stalks are usually pulled rather than
cutting in the field
•Commercial stage of Harvest: Indicated by split of bract at the top,
emergence of first flower and exposure of orange sepals
• A few days before harvest, the BOP inflorescences are normally
covered by a paper or wax paper bag wrapped with electrical tape
to prevent inflorescences from opening during transportation & to
reduce mechanical injury

22. Postharvest technology
The stems are trimmed to a standard length ranging from 60 to
120 cm
The flowers are washed to remove field dust, insects, and
exudates
If harvested at bud stage, the buds should be kept in a solution
containing 10% sucrose, 250 mg/l 8 HQC and 150 mg/l citric
acid at 22
o
C for enhancing blooming

23. Packing of flowers
Flowers are packed singly or bunched in five, with or without
sleeving
• Approximately 18 stems cushioned with moist shredded
newspaper are packed per box
•Bird of paradise flowers may be stored in water at 8
0
C for a
week or less
•Storage under dry condition with 90 to 95 % RH is best for
longer shelf life
•Bird-of-paradise is less cold sensitive than Heliconia and red
Ginger.
The minimum recommended storage temperature for bird of
paradise is >8
0
C

24. Simple packet, packet with
sleeve net and cardboard box

25. Ornamental gingers

26. Introduction
: Alpinia purpurata
: Zingiberaceae
: Early summer to late summer
: Red, white and pink
Common name : Red ginger
Botanical name
Family
Flowering period
Flower colour
Native: tropical and sub tropical Asia, Australia
and PacificIslands

27. Introduction
•Alpinia purpurata is a tall, perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous,
aromatic and herbaceous plant with 30-250 cm tall.
•The inflorescence of 20-40 cm long consists of spirally arranged,
showy, brightly coloured bracts.
•Inflorescences are normally erect but found drooping if they are
large.
•The plant can be cultivated as an intercrop in Arecanut, Coconut,
rubber plantations etc.
•Red ginger can also be grown as a houseplant and its cut flowers
can be used in arrangements

28. Alpinia zerumbet
Alpinia purpurata
Alpinia calcarata

29. Cultivars

•White, Rose and pink are common

•The most popularized cultivars are ‘Jungle Queen’, ‘Jungle
King’, ‘Kimi’, ‘Dwarf pink’, ‘Tahitian Double’ etc.

•Most cultivars are the intermediate between red and pink
ginger

30. Soil and Climatic Requirement
•A well-drained fertile porous sandy loam to clay loam soils should
be selected for cultivation

•Optimum pH: 6 -7.5

•Soil should have good amount of organic matter.
•Chlorosis due to high pH in calcareous soils is a common problem
•Being tropical plant can tolerate up to 30
oC
•Partial shade is required for optimum flowering
•Can grow up to 1500 ft. elevation

31. Propagation
Seeds
•Seeds are rarely produced
•Sow seeds shallow in a moist, slightly acidic, well drained
organic medium.
•Seeds germinate in 2–3 weeks.

32. Offshoots
•Inflorescences develop aerial offshoots (small plantlets)
from the sides of the bracts (the bract axils)
•To propagate with offshoots, the whole flower head can be bent into a
pot and covered with soil.
•After roots have formed from the offshoots several weeks later, cut off
the mass of rooted offshoots from the mother plant.
•The rooted plantlets can be separated and planted in pots.
•Rooting of offshoots is improved with 500 ppm auxin (IBA or NAA)
•About 2 years is required to produce flowers of marketable size and
quality

33. Offshoots

34. Rhizomes
•Some cultivars do not develop offshoots and must be propagated by
rhizome divisions.
•If the roots are not well developed on the
horizontal rhizome, the upright stem
should be cut back to reduce water loss
•Keep them in a warm place (50°F
minimum at night) but not in full sun.
•Water periodically until the plants are
established.
•Rhizome-propagated plants typically
produce marketable flowers within a year
when planted in beds.

35. Planting
•Planting is carried out just before the rainy season, during April -
May.
•For planting, a row spacing of 3 – 4 feet is recommended.
•After planting in each pit, a thin layer of fertile soil might be
provided at the base of the clump.
•Deep planting should be avoided as it results in suppression of the
growth of new shoots and may cause death of plants due to
decaying of underground rhizomes.
•Immediately after planting it should be mulched using dried leaves.

36. Cultural practices
•A regular schedule of cultural practices consisting of
weeding, mulching, trashing, fertilizer application and
irrigation are to be taken up from time to time.
Mulching:
•Fallen leaves of shade trees and straw can be used for
mulching.
•It should be repeated along with fertilizer application at 30
days interval.
•It also reduces the ill effect of drought which prevails for 4-5
months in summer.

37. Weeding:
•In order to reduce the competition between weeds and crop, and
also to ensure the availability of nutrients and water weeding is
necessary.
•Depending upon the intensity of weeds 2-3 rounds of weeding,
mainly associated with manuring
Trashing:
•It consists of removing old drying and rotting shoots and leaves of
the plant once in a year with the onset of monsoon, under rain fed
conditions and 2-3 times in high density plantations
Cultural practices

38. Shade regulation:
•Since the plant is adapted to partial shade to direct sun light regulation
of shade is not necessary.
•In areas having sparse tree growth, suitable fast growing shade trees
may be planted.
•Care should be taken to provide adequate light during rainy seasons.
Irrigation:
•In order to overcome the dry condition during summer it is necessary to
water the plant to get maximum production.
•Irrigation @ 2 litres per plant in alternate days is provided in summer.


Cultural practices

39. A basal dose of 10 to 15 tons of FYM/ha along with 75:75:50
•kg/ha of NPK is recommended
Increasing nitrogen fertilizer increases the number
of marketable flowers
Manuring and fertilization

40. Plant protection

Diseases
Rhizome rot:
•It is a fungal disease caused by Pythium sp.
•Excessive soil moisture and lacks of proper drainage are
favorable for growth of the pathogen.
•The initial disease symptoms are noticed on leaves which
show slight paleness and yellowing at the top.
•Control: Drench the rhizome with 2g/l of Carbendazim +
mancozeb at the time of first appearance of symptoms

41. Yellowing of leaves:
It is a deficiency
The diseased plant shows progressive yellowing of leaves
which proceed first along the margins and later covers the
entire leaf causing it to dry up.
Control: Spraying 2g/l of Muriate of Potash (MoP) (60% K
2O)
on leaves is found to be effective.

42. Pests
Shoot borer
•The larvae bore into the pseudostem and feed on the tissue and bore
a hole towards the surface
•The infested shoot resulting in yellowing and drying from tip.
•Control: Quinalphos, Methyl parathion, Phosalone, Dimethoate
Scale insects (Mealy bugs):
•It effect rhizomes and inflorescences of red ginger.
•It sucks the sap of rhizome and retards the plant growth
•Control: Applying Phorate, Dimethoate etc in soil as granules.
•Spraying Dimethoate (0.03%), Parathion (0.025%)

43. Harvesting
Time to harvest is shorter in the summer than in the winter
Inflorescences are harvested in the early morning while
still turgid
 Bracts are about two-thirds to three-fourths open, as
an immature flower has a longer shelf life than a mature
flower
Floral spikes are harvested about 4 - 5 months after
stem emergence
Production is year-round, the greatest number of flowers
is produced during the summer months

44. Postharvest life
Postharvest life is increased by use of floral preservatives
containing 2% sucrose and 8-HQC (8hydroxyquinoline
citrate), antitranspirants, or simply precutting the stems
Hot water treatment of red ginger at 120–122°F for 12–
15 minutes extends postharvest life, kills most of the
pests that infest red ginger, and reduces the geotropic
response

45. Grading
•The grading of inflorescence is based upon the size, quality,
length of stalk and age of the inflorescence.
•The price of inflorescence can be changed on the average
quality of cut flower.
•The better quality considered as Grade I and average is Grade
II and low quality is grouped under the category Grade III.
•The grade I inflorescence will fetch an average of Rs.
5/inflorescence in the market.

46. Storage
Store red ginger at 54.5–59°F, making sure that the flowers
do not exhibit chill damage symptoms such as off
colored (grayish or bluish) blooms.

A holding solution of 2% sucrose (w/v) is recommended.

To maintain the best quality, the relative humidity should be
greater than 90%.

47. Packing
•Red ginger stems are packed flat, singly or bunched, in
standard or insulated fiberboard boxes or cartons.
•Single stems are layered in rows in the box.
•Bunches may be wrapped in a polyethylene film, or
moistened, shredded newspaper may be packed around
the bunches, with unshredded newspaper separating the
layers.

48. Shipping
To prevent geotropic bending during shipping, it
is preferable that the boxes be kept upright, so
that the stems are in a vertical orientation

Holding temperature should be no lower than
59°F