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The experiment was laid out in Randomized Completely Block Design with three replications. Sixteen genotypes namely, Arka Poornima, Arka Archana, Arka Aadya, Arka Kamini, Arka Shashank, Phule Ganesh White, Phule Ganesh Pink, Phule Ganesh Purple, Phule Ganesh Light pink, Pink Cushion, Arabhavi Aster Collection-1 (AAC-1), Namadhari Pink, Selected line (L-76), Selected line (L-179), Selected line (L-179/1) and Selected line (L-56) have been collected from IIHR, Hessaraghata Lake, Bengaluru, Karnataka for the trial.The different morphological, phenological as well as floral traits have been collected during the crop period which showed significant variation among the evaluated China aster genotypes. The maximum number of flowers per plant was recorded in 'Arka Aadya' (71.40) and 'Arka Shashank' (66.27) statistically at par with 'Arka Aadya' and the highest vase life as cut flower was noticed in Arka Shashank (11.67 days). Flower diameter was maximum in Phule Ganesh White (8.29 cm) which was at par with Arka Poornima (6.92 cm) and Phule Ganesh Purple (6.53 cm). Among the all genotypes, the maximum weight of ten fresh flowers were observed in Arka Poornima (54.17 g) which was statistically at par with Phule Ganesh White (53.61 g). These characters are considered to be very important with respect to commercial value of the variety for fulfil the consumers demand. The genotypes Arka Poornima, Phule Ganesh White, Arka Shashank, Arka Kamini and Arka Aadya may be recommended for commercial cultivation as loose flowers as well as cut flowers in the Terai region of West Bengal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was laid out in Randomized Completely Block Design with three replications. Sixteen genotypes namely, Arka Poornima, Arka Archana, Arka Aadya, Arka Kamini, Arka Shashank, Phule Ganesh White, Phule Ganesh Pink, Phule Ganesh Purple, Phule Ganesh Light pink, Pink Cushion, Arabhavi Aster Collection-1 (AAC-1), Namadhari Pink, Selected line (L-76), Selected line (L-179), Selected line (L-179/1) and Selected line (L-56) have been collected from IIHR, Hessaraghata Lake, Bengaluru, Karnataka for the trial.The different morphological, phenological as well as floral traits have been collected during the crop period which showed significant variation among the evaluated China aster genotypes. The maximum number of flowers per plant was recorded in ‘Arka Aadya’ (71.40) and ‘Arka Shashank’ (66.27) statistically at par with ‘Arka Aadya’ and the highest vase life as cut flower was noticed in Arka Shashank (11.67 days). Flower diameter was maximum in Phule Ganesh White (8.29 cm) which was at par with Arka Poornima (6.92 cm) and Phule Ganesh Purple (6.53 cm). Among the all genotypes, the maximum weight of ten fresh flowers were observed in Arka Poornima (54.17 g) which was statistically at par with Phule Ganesh White (53.61 g). These characters are considered to be very important with respect to commercial value of the variety for fulfil the consumers demand. The genotypes Arka Poornima, Phule Ganesh White, Arka Shashank, Arka Kamini and Arka Aadya may be recommended for commercial cultivation as loose flowers as well as cut flowers in the Terai region of West Bengal.

China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees] is a flowering annual mainly cultivated for loose flower and cut flower, bedding and pot culture. To assess the genetic diversity, 42 genotypes were evaluated for fourteen quantitative traits. The genotypes were found to be highly variable for the traits such as plant height, plant spread, flower stalk length, 100 flower weight, number of flowers per plant, weight of flowers per plant and flower yield per hectare. However, low variability was recorded for vase life and shelf life. The genotypes were broadly grouped into two clusters, which were further divided into cluster 1a, 1b and cluster 2a, 2b, respectively. All the genotypes in cluster 1a were vigorous and medium flowering, whereas, genotypes in cluster 1b were tall, erect, vigorous and late flowering. The cluster 2a comprises of the genotypes with short stature, small flower and early flowering, however, cluster 2b contains only two genotypes. In principal component analysis (PCA) PC1 was highly correlated to flower yield, weight of flowers/plant, flower stalk length and plant height and PC2 was highly positively correlated to shelf life and vase life and negatively correlated to 100 flower weight. The results suggested that the existing variation in China aster genotypes could be used for the development of trait-specific novel genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees] is a flowering annual mainly cultivated for loose flower and cut flower, bedding and pot culture. To assess the genetic diversity, 42 genotypes were evaluated for fourteen quantitative traits. The genotypes were found to be highly variable for the traits such as plant height, plant spread, flower stalk length, 100 flower weight, number of flowers per plant, weight of flowers per plant and flower yield per hectare. However, low variability was recorded for vase life and shelf life. The genotypes were broadly grouped into two clusters, which were further divided into cluster 1a, 1b and cluster 2a, 2b, respectively. All the genotypes in cluster 1a were vigorous and medium flowering, whereas, genotypes in cluster 1b were tall, erect, vigorous and late flowering. The cluster 2a comprises of the genotypes with short stature, small flower and early flowering, however, cluster 2b contains only two genotypes. In principal component analysis (PCA) PC1 was highly correlated to flower yield, weight of flowers/plant, flower stalk length and plant height and PC2 was highly positively correlated to shelf life and vase life and negatively correlated to 100 flower weight. The results suggested that the existing variation in China aster genotypes could be used for the development of trait-specific novel genotypes.

China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees] is commercially grown as annual flower crop for cut flower and loose flower. It is used for flower decoration, preparation of bouquets and garlands. It belongs to the family Asteraceae and is native of China. Morphological characterization of China aster genotypes was carried out in the division of Floriculture and Medicinal Crops, ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru during 2015-16 and 2016-17 by adopting DUS guidelines developed by Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, New Delhi. A total of 42 genotypes were characterized for 21 traits belonging to vegetative and floral traits. Among these 21 traits, two were monomorphic, four dimorphic and 15 were polymorphic indicating their potential for varietal characterization. This characterization clearly established distinctness among the different genotypes for various traits. This study will be useful for breeders/farmers to identify and differentiate China aster genotypes and to pursue protection under PPV and FR Authority, New Delhi. The characterizations of genotypes will also results trait specific information which can be used in the development of superior genotypes in China aster.

A line × tester set of 8 parents involving five females (Arka Kamini, Arka Poornima, Arka Aadya, Arka Archana, Arka Violet Cushion) and three pollen parents (Arka Shashank, Local Violet, Local Pink) were analyzed for heterosis with respect to growth, flower quality and yield traits in China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees]. The experiments were conducted at Division of Floriculture and Medicinal Crops, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru during 2015-17. Results revealed that the cross L2 × T1 exhibited highest positive significant heterosis for plant height over mid parent, better parent as well as commercial check cv. Arka Kamini. For days to first flowering, cross L3 × T1 exhibited maximum negative heterosis over commercial check. The cross L2 × T1 exhibited highest positive significant heterosis for duration of flowering over mid parent, better parent as well as commercial check. For flower stalk length, the highest positive significant heterosis over mid parent, better parent as well as commercial check was observed in cross L4 × T3. The cross L3 × T2 recorded highest heterosis for flower yield over better, mid and commercial check.

A study was conducted at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru for three consecutive seasons during 2019-20, to standardize the container type, substrate combination and nutrition for potted plant production of China aster var. Arka Archana. The treatments comprised of two type of containers (plastic and coir), three substrates {Red soil + FYM + Sand (1:1:1 v/v), Arka Fermented cocopeat (AFC), AFC + Vermicompost (1:1 v/v)} and four nutrition concentration (160:30:180 ppm N:P: K, 128:24:144 ppm N:P: K, 96:18:108 ppm N:P: K and Jeevamrutha @ 3%) laid out in factorial completely randomized design with three replications. Plant height at flowering (33.12 cm), number of primary branches (12.4), plant spread (536.64 cm2), number of flowers/plant (26.47), flower size (5.26 cm) and uptake of major, secondary and minor nutrients were maximum in the plants grown in 6" plastic pots using the substrate combination of soil +sand +FYM (1:1:1 v/v/v) along with the weekly application of nutrient solution of 96:18:108 ppm NPK/plant. This production protocol resulted in a dense canopy and highly floriferous potted plants. The benefit cost ratio of potted China aster production was 1.70. This technology can be adopted by the nurserymen for large-scale commercial potted plant production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru for three consecutive seasons during 2019-20, to standardize the container type, substrate combination and nutrition for potted plant production of China aster var. Arka Archana. The treatments comprised of two type of containers (plastic and coir), three substrates {Red soil + FYM + Sand (1:1:1 v/v), Arka Fermented cocopeat (AFC), AFC + Vermicompost (1:1 v/v)} and four nutrition concentration (160:30:180 ppm N:P: K, 128:24:144 ppm N:P: K, 96:18:108 ppm N:P: K and Jeevamrutha @ 3%) laid out in factorial completely randomized design with three replications. Plant height at flowering (33.12 cm), number of primary branches (12.4), plant spread (536.64 cm2), number of flowers/plant (26.47), flower size (5.26 cm) and uptake of major, secondary and minor nutrients were maximum in the plants grown in 6" plastic pots using the substrate combination of soil +sand +FYM (1:1:1 v/v/v) along with the weekly application of nutrient solution of 96:18:108 ppm NPK/plant. This production protocol resulted in a dense canopy and highly floriferous potted plants. The benefit cost ratio of potted China aster production was 1.70. This technology can be adopted by the nurserymen for large-scale commercial potted plant production.

A field experiment was carried out to estimate genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for 19 traits among 30 genotypes of China aster. The randomized complete block design with two replications was employed at the College of Horticulture, Mudigere, during the year 2017-18. Analysis of variance revealed that significant differences were observed for all the traits. The phenotypic co-efficient of variation (PCV) was a higher magnitude than the genotypic co-efficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits. Narrow differences between GCV and PCV were recorded in all the characters except flowering duration, vase-life and shelf-life, indicating little environmental influence on the expression of these characters. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent mean was recorded for the number of florets per flower head, the weight of flower per plant, plant height, flower head diameter, individual flower weight, disc diameter, the number of flowers per plant, days to 50 per cent flowering, the number of primary branches per plant, the number of flowers per branches, plant spread (North-South), 1000 seed weight, plant spread (East-West), flower stalk length, seed yield per plant, vase life and shelf life proves more useful for efficient improvement of a character through simple selection.

A line x tester analysis was carried out involving 11 divergent genotypes (6 lines and 5 testers) and 30 F1 hybrids of China aster for assessing the combining ability for 13 economic traits, during 2017. The genotypes Matsumoto White and Phule Ganesh Violet among lines and testers, showed good general combining ability for most of the economical traits. The cross combinations Matsumoto Scarlet x Phule Ganesh Violet, Matsumoto White x Phule Ganesh Violet and Matsumoto Red x IIHRJ3-2 showed best specific combining ability for various traits. The variance of sca was the highest for all the traits except for plant spread and days to first flowering which indicated the dominance of additive gene effects. Hence, it was inferred that specific combining ability can be exploited for the creation of novel flower colours and phenotypes.

An investigation was conducted at the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara to evaluate the performance of China aster genotypes in tropical plains of Kerala. Ten genotypes of China aster viz., Arka Kamini, Arka Shashank, Arka Archana, Phule Ganesh White, Phule Ganesh Violet, Phule Ganesh Pink, Phule Ganesh Purple, AAC-1, Local Pink and Mat White were evaluated for vegetative, floral and post harvest characters. The greatest plant height (68.86 cm), number of primary branches (14.25), number of leaves (56.48), stem girth (11.09 cm) and plant spread (50.08 cm) were recorded in the variety Phule Ganesh Pink. Leaf area was highest in variety Phule Ganesh White (34.31 cm² ). Number of flowers per plant was the highest in variety Arka Shashank (20.20), while Arka Archana (18.47), Local Pink (18.47), Phule Ganesh Pink (17.73), Phule Ganesh White (16.93) and Arka Kamini (16.27) were on par. Flower stalk length was highest in variety Phule Ganesh Pink (21.39 cm), which was on par with Phule Ganesh Purple (20.61 cm), Phule Ganesh Violet (19.73 cm), AAC-1 (18.27 cm) and Phule Ganesh White (17.73 cm). Flower yield was highest in variety Phule Ganesh Pink (55.99 g). Duration of flowering was the longest in variety Local Pink (62.40 DAP) and was on par with variety Phule Ganesh Pink (60.60 DAP). Shelf life (3.67 days) and vase life (13.93 days) were the highest in variety Phule Ganesh Pink. The study revealed that Phule Ganesh Pink was best suited for cultivation in Kerala, both as cut flower and loose flower. The varieties Local Pink and Phule Ganesh White were also found promising for the tropical plains of Kerala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In order to improve physical and mental human healthy, development of the urban area landscape is necessary. Water deficit is one of the most important problems in arid and semi- arid regions. Water deficit causes to reduce growth of different plants parts, including roots, aerial parts, leaf area, height, dry weight, proteins, amino acids and chlorophyll. Using drought tolerance plantsisone solution. Moreover, one physiological method to decrease the hazardous effects of environmental stresses on plants is to applyplant growth regulators such as salicylic acid (SA). SA is one of the plant phenolic compounds in low amounts (mg/g wet weight or lower). This hormone can perform an important role in resistance to stresses. Asteraceae is one of the biggest plant families with over 20,000 species which is distributed worldwide in moderate and tropical regions. A lot of border flowers of this family are widely used in landscaping. Toselect drought tolerance flowers and application of materials that reducing stress effects, this experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of salicylic acid on some morphological and physiological characteristics of five border flowers of this family. Materials and Methods: The field experiment was conducted as split plot on randomized complete blocks design with four replications in which factors included two levels of water deficit (50, 100% FC) as main plot and two levels of SA (0, 1mmol/L-1) as sub plot in the horticulturedepartment of faculty of Agriculture atFerdowsi University of Mashhad. In this investigation five border flowers (Ageratum houstonianum‘Blue Danube’, Tagetserecta ‘Discovery Yellow’, Tagetspatula‘Hero Harmony’, Zinnia elegans ‘Lilliput rose’andCallistephuschinensis ‘Milady Mix’ ) of Asteraceae family were chosen for study. The soil mixture was analyzed before starting the test. According to the result of physicochemical analysis of the soil, it had loamy texture (52% sand, 30% silt and 18% clay) with 7.04 pH and 3.6 ds/m electrical conductivity (EC) and total N (0.175mg/kg), P (142.7 mg/kg) and K (142.3mg/kg) were reported, too. Investigated characteristics were height of the plants, leaf area,flower number,root dry weight, flower dry weight, aerial parts dry weight,chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, ,total chlorophyll,carotenoide,stomata conductance,relative water content (RWC) and electrolyte leakage. Tomeasureleaf area and stomata conductance, leaf area meter and prometer were used, respectively. In addition, electrolyte leakage, RWC, chlorophyll and carotenoide were evaluated by Sairamet al., Smart and Bingham, Arnon and Rangan methods, respectively. Minitab 16 software was used for data analysis and LSD test (p≤ 5%) for mean comparison was applied. Results and Discussion: The results of this study showed that all characteristics of examined flowers decreased underwater deficit treatment (50% FC). SA had different effect on flowers properties. Although SA had not significant effect on flower number, it improved the percentage of characteristicssuch asflower dry weight, chlorophyll a, stomata conductance and RWC of Ageratum houstonianum; root dry weight, carotenoid andstomata conductance of Zinnia elegans; carotenoid of Tagetserecta; flower number, flower dry weight, carotenoid and stomata conductance of Tagetspatula; root dry weight, flower dry weight, aerial parts dry weight andstomata conductance of Callistephuschinensis. Moreover, SA had significant effect on the considered characteristics of the other studied flowers. Interaction effect of these two factors had different effects on all of the examined characteristics of five flowers. The highest amounts of the investigated characteristics mostly obtained from water deficit with SA application treatment. Under water deficit, SA could influence leaf area and electrolyte leakage of all examined flowers and aerial parts dry weight of all flowers except Callistephuschinensis. Among the studied flowersTagetserectaand Zinnia elegans showed the highest and Callistephuschinensisdisplayed the lowest response to SA application under water deficit. Underwater deficit conditions SA probably cause to improve nutritious elements that can increase plant growth. Different effects of SA on morphological and physiological properties may be due to the plant species and environmental conditions that can influence on morphophysiologic process variously. Conclusions: The results of this studyindicated that SA resulted in the improvement of themost of morphological and physiological properties. However different results obtained,due to the variation in morphological and physiological characteristics of flowers.

Forty-two genotypes of China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees] were evaluated in RBD with two replications for growth, flowering, yield and postharvest traits to determine the variability, heritability, genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation, correlation and path coefficient among 13 quantitative traits, based on which selection may be made. The study was carried out at the Division of Floriculture and Medicinal Crops, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru during 2015–16 and 2016–17. Results revealed that magnitude of the phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits. High (>20%) PCV and GCV was recorded for plant height, number of leaves per plant, plant spread, flower stalk length, 100 flower weight, number of flowers per plant and weight of flowers per plant. Heritability estimates ranged from 92.32% (number of leaves per plant) to 99.84% (100 flower weight). High heritability coupled with high genetic gain as per cent of mean was recorded for all the traits studied. The weight of flowers per plant was significant and positively correlated with all the economic traits, except for shelf life. Path coefficient analysis using correlation coefficients revealed that number of flowers per plant contributed highest positive direct effect on weight of flowers per plant, followed by weight of 100 flowers. Therefore, the selection on the basis of traits, viz. plant height, number of leaves per plant, plant spread, flower stalk length, 100 flower weight, number and weight of flowers per plant will be more effective for improvement of traits in breeding of China aster.

Рurpose. Determining the influence of the varietal features on seed productivity of China Aster when growing under conditions of Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. Methods. Field study during 2011–2013 on experimental field of Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agriculture Sciences. Results. It was experimentally determined the influence of varietal features on seed productivity for various sort-types of China Aster. Based on morphological description, the growth and development of this plant was shown as well as dependence of generative organs on quantitative parameters of ve­getative ones, and their impact on the productivity of various variety types either of the Institute of Horticulture or other scientific institutions breeding. Structure of flowers for various sort-types was illustrated. The most productive varieties were identified among those that are included in the State Register of plant varieties suitable for dissemination in Ukraine which have formed the average of 3 g of seeds or more per plant during the years of study. Conclusions. Edaphoclimatic conditions of the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine are favorable for seed-producing industry of China Aster. Its productivity considerabl­y depends on a variety and sort-type to which it belongs.

A radiomutant of China aster with a new type of head and new type of ray florets was described. All florets in the head were bisexual and tubular although dimorphic - they varied in size and colour. The place of ray florets in the head was taken by bisexual open tubular florets which were often crowned with irregular teeth. Disc florets were short and parchment-like. In both types of florets the following were compared: number and size of stamens, vitality of pollen and floret fertility. A number of teeth (lobes) in the corolIas of disc florets was also determined. Attention was also paid to the frequently observed anomalies and in particular to stamen displation. The problem is discussed of whether the obtained form resulted from mutation of disc florets with the simultaneous mutation of factors determining the so far unknown in China aster the head type without the whorl ofray florets or whether it was a mutation of ray flowers (corolla type and androecium formation). The author presents the opinion that the form resulted from the mutation ligulate of ray florets to the type of florets described above.

The improper description and classification of two Polish cultivars of China aster ('Roma' and 'Srebrzysta Gwiazdka') were corrected. A new type of ray florets with tubular-ligulated (RJ type) and closed tubular (RC type) corollas was described. The type of heredity of the above mentioned types of florets and florets with ligulated corollas was determined. The work is based on our own material: radiomutant MG and its offspring as well as the F1

The article highlights the state of breeding and variety studying for Callistephus chinensis in Ukraine and, in particular, in the Horticulture Institute of NAA, and offers the summary of studying the growth and development aspects for Callistephus, various varieties productivity level, their response to specific set of weather and climatic conditions. The research objectives and methods for their achieving are disclosed, as well the requirements a variety shall comply with, namely: reaching homozygote state, distinctness and ornamentality, fusariose and weather conditions resistance. 11 descriptions for new varieties of annual aster (Anastasia, Angelina, Litnia Nich, Lybid, Oksamyt, Samanta, Sofia, Snizhana, Flamingo , Shokoladka, Tsarivna) as bred by the Horticulture Institute of NAAS were provided, namely by identification and economic and biologic characteristics, these varieties are listed in the State Register of Plant Varieties Suitable for Dissemination in Ukraine.

The paper is mostly devoted to the variability of florets and heads in Callistephus sp.- in its wild form and cultivated varieties. Describing the variability of heads more attention was paid to florets and specially ray florets including rare and often incorrectly described florets with tubular corollas. Attention was called to the necessity of using univocal and generally accepted basic vocabulary for heterogamic heads.

Seeds of 3 commercial China aster (Callistephus chinensis Nees) lots were divided by hand into 3 grades with different colours: dark brown, brown and light brown, and 2 grades with a different size: length below 3.9 mm (small) and above 3.9 mm (large). The colour grading was done based on the Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart and size grading was done by hand for each seed. Then, seeds were routinely germinated based on the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) rules. The size of seeds had no effect on their germination. The dark brown seeds germinated better than the light brown ones. Removing light brown seeds from the China aster seed lot improved their germination.

Thousand seed weight (TSW, g), achene size (mm) and fertility were evaluated in polyploid plants of C0 (1999) and C1 (2000) generations. The fertility of polyploid plants was usually very low (more than 10× compared to diploid plants). Only one plant (genotype A (tm) 1) was found as a tetraploid individual with anomalously high fertility, high TSW and large size of achenes. TSW in polyploid plants was 2.6-4.13 g, in diploid plants 2.0-2.3 g. The achene size was mostly about 3.7 mm (diploid plants) and 4.0-4.8 mm (polyploid plants). Achene (seed) size and thousand seed weight (TSW) can be classified among indirect identification methods (size of stomata, number of chloroplasts in guard cells, etc.) of polyploid plants.

A field study was conducted to estimate genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in 20 genotypes of China aster for 15 traits during the year 2012-13 in Randomized Complete Block Design, with three replications. Results revealed that the magnitude of phenotypic co-efficient of variation (PCV) was higher than genotypic co-efficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits studied. Narrow differences between GCV and PCV were recorded in all the characters except flowering duration, vase-life and shelf-life, indicating little environmental influence on expression of these characters. High (>20%) GCV and PCV were recorded for plant height, number of branches and leaves per plant, flower diameter, number of ray and disc florets/flower head, stalk length, and, number and weight of flowers/plant. Heritability estimates ranged from 28.30% (flowering duration) to 99.54% (flower diameter). High heritability (

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of plant bio regulators on growth, flowering and seed yield in China aster cv. Kamini at College of Horticulture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad during rabi, 2013-14. The experiment was laid in randomized block design and replicated twice. Plant growth regulators viz., GA3 salicylic acid, maleic hydrazide, alar and paclobutrazol were used in the experiment. The treatments were imposed as foliar sprays twice at 20 and 35 days after transplanting. The observations on growth parameters were recorded at three stages of plant growth viz., 30, 60 and 90 DAT. GA3 200 mg/1 spray recorded significantly higher plant height (60.10 cm), number of primary branches per plant (24.60) and number of secondary branches per plant (61.45) at 90 DAT, number of flower's per plant (84.96), flower yield per plan t (109.66 g), flower yield per hectare (16.58 t), seed yield per plant (9.98 g), seed yield per ha (1509.31 kg) and 1000 seed weight (2.01 g). GA3 200 mg/1 foliar spray was found to bet par with SA 200 mg/1 in respect of number of primary branches (23.86), flower yield per hectare (15.90 t), seed yield per plant (9.85 g) and seed yield per hectare (1489.65 kg). SA 200 mg/1 foliar spray could be recommended for increased growth, flower and seed yield in China aster cv. Kamini as it is more cheaper than GA3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on study which accesses and estimates the magnitude of difference among China aster with respect to various traits which can be utilized in crop improvement. Topics discussed include estimation of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) values higher than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV), increase in efficiency of selection in a breeding programme from heritability with genetic advance and presence of additive type of gene action.

The correlation between the sowing value of primed China aster seeds represented by germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (MGT), germination uniformity expressed as the time between 25% and 75% of germinated seeds (T75-25) and some selected physiological characteristics -- total activity of dehydrogenases (TAD), activity of catalase (AC), activity of cell cycle (ACC) and electrolyte leakage (EL) has been analysed in order to find useful markers of biological quality of seeds. To achieve this objective, analyses of effects of three methods of water supply to seeds viz. -- hydroconditioning by soaking in excessive amount of water (M1), hydroconditioning by soaking in limited amount of water (M2) or hydroconditioning by contact with solid carrier of water -- matriconditioning (M3), three levels (30.0, 35.0 and 40.0%) of seed moisture content (m.c.) and three incubation periods (1, 8 and 10 days) during priming and hence their influence on germination properties (GP, MGT, T75-25) in comparison with TAD, AC, ACC and EL were determined. The results showed that MGT and T75-25 were correlated with TAD, AC, ACC and EL, irrespective of their priming method and sowing value. Therefore, all the investigated physiological/biochemical parameters of seed quality can be used as markers of germinability and sowing value reached by primed China aster seeds. The results also proved that, irrespective of the water supply method applied, hydration of seeds up to 37.5% m.c., and their incubation at 20 °C for 8 days, followed by drying to their initial moisture content, increased to the greatest extent the speed and uniformity of seed germination and their physiological activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy population of lantana mealybug, Phenacoccus parvus Morrison, was recorded on China aster, Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees, in pest proportions at Bangalore, South India, both on the collar region and roots. About 25% of the plants were infested by the mealybug. Infested plants showed stunted growth and did not bear flowers seen in healthy plants. Field and mounted characters of P. parvus are presented in the paper

The study was undertaken to optimize conditions for dry flower production in China aster flowers. The experiment was conducted with eight treatment combinations consisting of two drying conditions viz., room drying (C1) and sun drying (C2) and four media viz. Sand (M1), Sand:Borax (1:1) (M2), Borax (M3) and Silicagel (M4) with factorial concept in completely randomized design. Per cent weight loss and moisture loss were signiflcantly higher under sun drying and silicagel during the entire process of drying from first day to fourth day. Moisture content was higher under room drying and borax from first day to fourth day.

Poland has been a serious producer and seller of seeds of ornamental plants in the European Union. The aim of this work was to describe specifics of Polish flower seeds production based on two very important and different in seed production species: China aster (Callistephus chinensis Nees) and pansy (Viola wittrockiana hort.). The research included their seed production technology and profitability. It was based on the detailed analyses of 12 seed growers' farms located in western (near Wschowa) and northern (near Brześć Kujawski) Poland, the most important ornamental seed production areas in the country. The main differences in seed production technology concerned time of seeds sowing, risk of killing plants by winter, healthy status of the received plants, number of off-type selections, frequency of seed harvesting, seed yields and germination capacity of the received seeds. The profitability of China aster and pansy was 865 zł and 515 zł (1 euro=3.2 zł)/0.1 ha, respectively. Although, the seed yield of China aster was high, and seed harvest easy to carry out, the received seeds did not germinate well and thereby the received price for seeds was low. In the case of pansy seeds, it was opposite: the crop was risky due to winter killing of the plants, seed yield was low, costs of the seeds harvest were high, but the seeds germinated well and the price paid for the seeds was high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplasma suspected symptoms of phyllody, witches’ broom, leaf yellowing, stunting and little leaf were observed in Chrysanthemum morifolium, Bougainvillea glabra, Jasminum sambac and Callistephus chinensis during survey of flower nurseries and experimental ornamental fields at Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka from 2014 to 2016. Pleomorphic bodies typical to phytoplasma structures were observed in the phloem sieve elements of ultrathin sections of all the four symptomatic ornamental plants (stem tissue) in transmission electron microscope. Amplification of 1.8 and 1.2 kb phytoplasma DNA products was observed in all the four test plants in PCR assays using universal primer pairs P1/P7 followed by nested primer pair R16F2n/R16R2, respectively. Pairwise sequence comparison, phylogeny and virtual RFLP analysis of 16S rDNA sequences confirmed the association of two phytoplasma subgroups (16SrI-B and 16SrII-D) in four ornamental plant species. ‘Ca. P. aurantifolia’ subgroup D (16SrII-D) was found associated with chrysanthemum phyllody and leaf yellowing at Delhi and Tamil Nadu, bougainvillea little leaf and yellowing at Delhi and Chinese aster phyllody at Bengaluru, Karnataka. However, jasmine little leaf and yellowing at Bengaluru, Karnataka and chrysanthemum stunting at Pune were found to be associated with ‘Ca. P. asteris’ subgroup B-related strains (16SrI-B). The identification of 16SrII-D subgroup phytoplasma infecting bougainvillea and 16SrI-B subgroup infecting jasmine are the new reports to the world. Besides weed species, Cannabis sativa showing witches’ broom in jasmine fields at Bengaluru and Parthenium hysterophorus showing witches’ broom symptoms in chrysanthemum fields at Delhi were identified to be caused by phytoplasma strains classified under subgroups 16SrI-B and 16SrII-D, respectively, by PCR assays and 16Sr DNA sequence comparison analysis. Among the three major leafhopper species identified, only Hishimonas phycitis was identified positive for 16SrI-B and 16SrII-D subgroups of phytoplasmas from chrysanthemum fields at Delhi and jasmine fields at Bengaluru, respectively. The identity of similar phytoplasma strains infecting ornamental species in leafhopper and the weed species in the present study suggested that H. phycitis and weeds may act as potential natural sources for secondary spread of the identified phytoplasma strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]