Classification and evaluation of gerbera cultivars

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to classify and evaluate the available gerbera cultivars (Gerbera jamesonii, Hook) in Bangladesh. We used twenty four gerbera cultivars and those were coded from V1-V24. It was found that V8, V9. V10, V11, V12, V15, V16, V19, V20, V21, V22, V23 and V24 were performed as best in terms of different growth, yield also the quality contributing characters. These cultivars (V8-V12, V15, V16, V19-V24) also provided plenty of variation for leaf area (ranges from 215.7 cm 2 to 231.1 cm 2). We found that flower head diameter was >10.0 cm (except V8), peduncle diameter was >8.0 mm, standard peduncle length >30.0 cm and petal thickness >0.39 mm (except V8) for these the best performing cultivars (V8-V12, V15, V16, V19-V24). On the other hand we had classified these 24 gerbera cultivars into 5 classes according to their blooming pattern. The five classes are singles (V1, V4, V14) doubles (duplex) (V5, V12, V18, V21, V22, V23, V24), crested doubles (V2, V3, V6, V7, V8, V10, V11, V15, V16, V19, V20), full crested doubles (V9) and quilled crested doubles (spider) (V13, V17).