Comparative study on agronomic and physiological performance of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii) under drip and aggregate wick systems

Aggregate wick system (AWS) or capillary action technique is a kind of sub-surface irrigation system gaining popularity owing to its profound advantages of improved water and nutrient use efficiency resulting in superior plant growth and development. However, its effect on growth and physiology of gerbera crop has not been studied yet. Therefore, an experiment was conducted during 2021-23 at ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Karnataka to assess the effect of aggregate wick system on growth, flowering, vase life, yield and physiological aspects of gerbera var. Arka Nesara as compared to the conventional drip systems. It was apparent from the results that higher overall factor productivity in terms of number of leaves/plant (12.92), earlier first flower harvest (149.80 days) and copious flower production (38.58/plant/year) with enhanced chlorophyll content and optimal starch content were observed with AWS on the soil bed. However, AWS with pots on the ground resulted in extended vase life (9.20 days) with enhanced leaf area (115.31 cm2), chlorophyll-b, reducing sugars and decreased total and non-reducing sugars in leaves. Therefore, it can be concluded that the improved flower yield and vase life of gerbera in aggregate wick systems might be attributed to the greater chlorophyll production and reducing sugars in the leaves, respectively.