B.C. Venkatesh, P.T. Srinivas, A.V.D. Dorajee Rao, T. Rajasekharam and Asma Siddiqua
Abstract
The experiment âEvaluation of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) cultivars under Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradeshâ assessed eleven marigold varieties in the local agro-climatic conditions using a Randomized Block Design with three replications per cultivar. The marigold cultivars exhibited significant variations in vegetative growth, flowering, yield, and carotenoid content. Tennis Ball Plus had the tallest plants (104.34 cm) and widest spread (56.17 cm) at 90 days after transplanting (DAT), whereas Dimpal (65.40 cm and 34.57 cm) had the lowest measurements. Orange Glory showed the highest count of primary branches (19.03) and stem girth (6.60 cm) at 90 DAT, with Dimpal (8.90 and 3.56 cm) having the lowest values. Mydukur Local (31.93 and 45.00 days) had the quickest flower bud initiation and opening, while Pusa Basanti Gainda (43.47 and 54.93 days) took the longest. Mydukur Local (50.33 days) had the shortest time to 50% flowering, while Pooja (63.33 days) took the longest. Orange Glory had the longest flowering duration (76.93 days), most flowers per plant (83.20) and the highest flower yield per plot (9.43 kg) while Dimpal (36.07 days, 29.39 and 4.04 kg) had the lowest counts. Siri had the highest fresh weight (13.26 g), in contrast to Dimpal (5.50 g) with the lowest. Among the varieties, Ashtagandha Plus had the longest shelf life (6.67 days), while Chitvel Local had the shortest (2.87 days). Siri contained the highest carotenoid levels (84.82 mg), while Bidhan marigold-2 had the lowest content (24.77 mg). Correlation studies revealed significant and positive associations between yield and various traits such as number of flowers per plant, number of primary branches, plant height (cm), flowering duration, flower diameter (cm), plant girth (cm), plant spread, flower weight, and shelf life.