Lotus ppt

A beautiful aquatic perennial

1. LOTUS ANDREW L MYRTHONG 2014-12-126

2. Classification Kingdom : Plantae Division : Magnoliophyta Class : Magnoliopsida Order : Proteales Family : Nelumbonaceae Genus : Nelumbo Species : nucifera

3. Introduction S ynonym : Ambal , Thamarai , Padma , Ambuja , Pankaja , Sacred Water lily, Bean of India, Kamal, Kanwal It is an aquatic perennial National flower of India Symbol of purity, holiness and immortality Beneficial (medicinal) and cultural (religious) uses Nelumbo is a ‘ ceylonese ’ term

4. Description It has broad flattening leaves and bright fragrant flowers Leaves and flowers remains afloat Long stems that contain air spaces Petals boat shaped and overlaps in a symmetrical pattern Rhizomes function as the roots and spreads out horizontally through the mud below the water Leaves are 50cm in diameter

5. Leaf production maximum in rainy (June-Aug) and minimum in winter (Dec-Feb) ( Minimol , J. S. 2004) Flowers are single, fragrant, showy, magnificent Velvety white, cream, greenish white, yellow, pink, rose, red, mauve etc. Seeds are hard and dark brown

6. Species Two important species: Nelumbo lutea : New World (North America) Nelumbo nucifera : Old World (SE Asia and Australia) Other species: N. flavescens - strongly scented lemon yellow N. alba - bold and beautiful

7. Fig: Nelumbo lutea Fig: Nelumbo nucifera

8. Varieties Grossherzog Ernst Ludwig ( N. flavescens x N. osiris ) N. n. var. alba grandiflora (syn . N. grandiflora ) N. n. var. alba striata (syn. Empress) N. n. var. alba plena (syn. Shiroman ) – cut flower Angel Wings – tulip shaped Chawan basu – tub culture Charles Thomas – small tubs and pools Maggie Belle Slocum – tub culture Momo Botan – small tubs and pools Mrs. Perry D. Slocum

9. Agroclimatic condition Temperature above 20 C Altitude upto 2000 m above MSL Long day length accelerates rhizome elongation and upright leaf production Short day length promotes rhizome enlargement and inhibits upright leaf production

10. Propagation Seeds and rhizomes Seeds have extremely high viability (1000-2000 years) Due to the hard shells and nearly impermeable seed coat Scarification (sand paper rub) and stratification (in H 2 SO 4 ) Feb-Mar (tropical & subtropical) and April-May (temperate) Transplanted at 2 – leaf stage (10 DAG) 10 – 12 kg seeds per hectare Highly heterozygous

11. Rhizomes Three noded tip portion is the best propagule ( Minimol , J. S. 2004) Planted horizontally 7-10cm deep Fill the pools with clay soil and FYM @ 3:1 to a depth of 45-50 cm 100g neem cake and diammonium phosphate Water should not be less than 30cm

12. Culture Damp soil with pH 5.5 – 7.0 Open and sunny situation Sunlight at least 6 hours a day Best time for planting is A pril Place a stone over the rhizome to keep it securely in position Spacing: 2-3m (R – R) and 0.7-1m (P – P) Plant density: 4,115 to 7,936 plants/ha

13. Fertilization Mature crop require more K and less N Careful fertilization of young plants to prevent burning Doses maybe split in 3-4 applications In India media supplemented with FYM @ 5kg/m 2 Neem cake @ 100g/m 2 D iammonium phosphate @ 25g/m 2 and MoP @ 25g/m 2 as basal dose 15 days prior to planting ( Goel et al., 2001)

14. Container management Round containers preferable Fabric pond pots or no hole plastic pots is recommended Three - fifth of the pots filled with rich and wet pond soil Irrigate after 2 days when the plants have firmly attached to the mud

15. Pond management Water management issues (acquisition, movement and storage) R elatively flat, expansive and close to a reliable source of a large volume of fresh water Size depends upon water availability Soil capacity to retain water If not plastic liners should be used Shallow ponds with soil depth 30cm to 1m and surface water range 10cm to 1.5m Taro, sweet potato and yam bean are good companion/rotation crops

16. Daily care Maintain water temperature at 21 o C or 70 o F Provide as much sun as possible Remove any foliage that may block the sun Prune as and when necessary -snip away yellow leaves Fertilize once in two weeks Reposition the pots before the first frost Lifted rhizomes/tubers can stored in a cool frost free location until late spring

17. Weeds Water hyacinths, Water lettuce, A zolla , Typha and Cyperus papyrus Simazine @ 3-6 ppm or Monuron @ 4-12 ppm KMnO 4 to control azolla CuSO 4 used if no livestock present

18. Diseases L otus leaf spot( C ercospora sp. ) Removed affected leaves and burnt Spray mild solution of Bordeaux mixture @ 2-3 days interval Phytophthora root rot Uproot affected plants along with adhering soil and destroy

19. Insect-Pests Beetles ( Galerucella nymphaeae ), aphids and caterpillars Solution containing Bt parasitise and kill the larva Jetting the foliage with fresh water to dislodge them in water to be swallowed by inhabitants of the water

20. Precautions If growing from seed, do not fertilize during the first year of growth Begin fertilizing after a lotus tuber sprouts six leaves Stop fertilizing in the middle of July - to prepare plants for dormancy Avoid liquid pesticides as they burn the leaves Avoid excessive fertilization To help to prevent mildew and rotting , store them in living sphagnum moss Leaves and tubers to be consumed only after cooking

21. Harvesting Depends on environmental conditions Leaves and flowers collected in April Seeds are collected in August Rhizomes are harvested after 120 days in warm climates and after 150-180 days in cold climates Water is drained and rhizomes are dug Mechanical harvesting by using a backhoe with a specialised fork

22. Uses Lotus flowers, seeds, young leaves and rhizomes are all edible Seeds can be eaten as nuts The tuberous roots are baked as sweet potatoes Leaves are eaten like spinach Rhizomes maybe roasted, pickled, fried as chips Honey collected is used as a tonic ( Padmammadjhu or Makaranda ) to treat eye disorders

23. The dried seed heads, for decorative purposes and for dried flower arrangement A unique fabric from the lotus plant fibres is produced in Myanmar Flowers are used for the production of perfume Anti diabetic, anti obesity, anti depressant, anti inflammation, insomnia, diarrhoea, fever, haemorrhoids and leprosy

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