Introduction

Chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China as a flowering herb in the 15th century
BC. The flower also was introduced into japan for adopted flower as official seal. The flower
was brought to Europe in the 17th century AD. The crysanthemum has many species and split
several decades ago into several genera. The naming of the genera has been contentious , but
a ruling of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature in 1999 resulted in the defining
species of the genus being changed to Chrysanthemum indicum, thereby restoring the
economically important florist’s chrysanthemum to the genus Chrysanthemum.During the
period between the splitting of the genus and the ICBN rulling, commanly the plant treated
under the genus name Dendranthema.Besides that, the other species previously treated in the
narrow veiw of the genus chrysanthemum are now tranferred to the genus Glebionis and the
other genera split off from chrysantemum include Argyranthemum, Leucanthemopsis,
Leucanthemum, Rhodanthemum, and Tanacetum.The chrysanthemum are herbaceous
perennial plants that growth to 50-150 cm tall, with deeply lobed leaves and large flower
heads, white,yellow or pink in the wild species.

In economic value, chrysanthemum has many uses such as drinks, flowers can serve
as pendant, ornamental landscape and medical. In medicinal value, Chrysanthemum can be
remedies for anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and antihypertensive. Nowadays, there are many
hybrids and thousands of cultivars of Chrysanthemum, developed for hourticulture purposes.
We may find the flower occur in various forms, such as daisy-like, decorative, pompons or
buttons. More over, besides its traditional of yellow, other colours are available, such as red,
white, purple, and even green. In malaysia, the main area planting the chrysanthemum is
cameron highland.

Chrysanthemum in its nature habit is fall perennial plant. It will grow vegetatively
during the long days (short nights) of summer. Bud initiation occur when the first critical
photoperiod reached (9.5 hours of continuously darkness) as the days become shorter (nights
longer) and when the night lengths greater than 10.5 hours (continuously), it will start
flowering.

Chrysanthemum need long-day condition (LD) for growth and short-day (SD)
condition for flowering, because in its physiological assumption, when the day light shorter,
the fall are coming and is the time for flowering.
 But since Malaysia has equally length of Days and Nights throughout the year, the
Chrysanthemum supplier at Cameron Highland utilize its physiological habit by introducing
the light treatment to control the flower blooming. This is because in commercial production,
the aim is to produce flowering pot chrysanthemums with desired final size on a particular
date.

Objective

• To study the effects of k fertilizer on the number and size of flower.

Literature review

Chrysanthemums come in a wide variety of colors, including white, off-white, yellow,

gold, bronze, red, burgundy, pink, lavender and purple. Mum plants can grow to be 2-3 feet
high, depending on the cultivar and growing conditions. Chrysanthemums also come in many
flower forms; that is, chrysanthemums are often grouped by the shape and arrangement of
their petals. The most popular flower form is the "decorative," which is so packed with long,
broad petals that you can hardly see its center.

Plant chrysanthemum flowers in full sun and well-drained soil, enriched by compost.
Chrysanthemums are "photoperiodic", for example they bloom in response to the shorter days
and longer nights experienced in fall. Therefore, do not plant chrysanthemum flowers near
street lights or night lights, the artificial lighting may wreak havoc with the chrysanthemums'
cycle. Most of the cultivators require shorter days for Chrysanthemum flower bud initiation
and development. Under long days they tend to remain vegetative. Incandescent light of
roughly equal red and far red-wave length is reported to influence inter-nodal elongation and
hence length of the stem. Cultivators vary in their day length requirements and knowledge of
the exact requirement of the cultivators will help the grower to manipulate the flowering by
providing optimum photo periodic requirements.

Similar to light requirements, Chrysanthemum plants are also influenced by

temperature. The effect of night temperature is more pronounced than day temperature and a
night temperature of 16-29°C is optimum for most of the cultivars. High temperature may
cause floral distortion and low temperature may sometime cause discoloration of the
Chrysanthemum flower.
 In our mini project of chrysanthemum, we would like to study the effects of Potassium
fertilizers (K) on growth and flowering chrysanthemum.

1. Effects of potassium fertilizers on chrysanthemum growth

In order to obtain good plant growth and health, provision of sufficient elements of K
is necessary. Cahoon and Crummet (1955) reported plant dry weight and stem diameter
increased with fertilizer K. While Sharma and Arora (1989), in their study on the potato that
K content in leaf and petiole increased with the increasing use of K but the K content
decreased at maturity.

Yahiya et al. (1996) reported that K fertilizer application on peanut crop increase the
dry weight of shoots, weight of 1000 seeds, and seed yield (g / ha). They found that fertilizer
at a rate of 50 kg / ha is optimum for growth and nut yield.

Patra et al. (1996) have carried out experiments to study the effects of K fertilizer
application and planting suitable for the peanut crop in the field. They found that the addition
of 50 kg K2O/ha cause increased growth of peanut including plant height, leaf surface index,
the production of dry weight and oil content.

2. Effects of potassium fertilizers on chrysanthemum flowering

Potassium fertilizer is an important input to the plant flowering. Grant element of K to

plants can increase the number of flowers and seeds to increase production (Semenjuk, 1964).
K is usually required for adequate growth and production of roses (Woodson and Boodson,
1983). Bradfield et al. (1975) found that tomato plants produce flowers and the flowers grow,
with increased use of K.

Nadarajan (1983), in its review of the chrysanthemum plant that K can accelerate the
process of growth and production of high quality cutting interest at the rate of the combined
elements of 80 kg N, 160kg of P2O5 and 80 kg of K2O.
Methodology

Place: Unit Hortikultur, Taman Pertanian Universiti UPM

Planting Materials:

Soilless medium 50:50 (Peat:Perlite)

Pot (6” diameter)

Foliar fertilizer – weekly spray

Slow release fertilizer – one teaspoon per pot

Insecticide + Fungicide –weekly spray

K20 fertilizer as treatment

Fluorescent light for long-day treatment – 2300 hr to 0200 hr

Black polyethylene plastic for short-day treatment – 1800 hr to 0830 hr

Cultural practices for potted Chrysanthemum production:

1st week Planting Chrysanthemum 4 cuttings/pot.
Start of long day treatment.
(Using fluorescent light from 2300 hr to 0200 hr)
Apply foliar and slow release fertilizer.

2nd week Apply foliar fertilizer

Apply insecticide and fungicide spray.

3rd week Pinching all the treatments.

Apply foliar fertilizer.
Apply insecticide and fungicide spray.

4th week Apply foliar fertilizer

Apply insecticide and fungicide spray.
Apply potassium fertilizer to treatments 2,3 and 4.

5th week Start short day treatment until end of production.

(Using black polyethylene plastic from 1800 hr to 0830 hr).
Apply foliar fertilizer
Apply insecticide and fungicide spray.

6th week until Repeat the foliar fertilizer and insecticide + fungicide until end of the
end of the production.
production Apply potassium fertilizer to treatments 2,3 and 4.

8th week Apply slow release fertilizer.

This project is run by using randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five
replications and four treatments. Every treatment over replications is only one potted of
chrysanthemum. There are four chrysanthemum’s cutting in one potted. There are 80 cuttings
of chrysanthemum were given to our group.

The layout of potted chrysanthemum:

Treatments = 4 (T1, T2, T3, T4 which T1 is control)

Replication = 5

R1 R2 R3 R4 R5

T3 T4 T2 T3 T1

T2 T2 T3 T2 T4
 T4 T1 T1 T1 T3

T1 T3 T4 T4 T2

Treatment 1: Control

Treatment 2:100 (mg/L) of K fertilizer

Treatment 3:150 (mg/L) of K fertilizer

Treatment 4: 200 (mg/L) of K fertilizer

The parameter of this project is to measure the number and size of flower.

Data are collected every week.

Watering is done manually twice a day.

Expected result

From the objectives, we expect that the growth and flowering of chrysanthemum influenced
by the K fertilizer. We expect the 200 mg/L will result the higher number of flower and
greater diameter.

References

S. G. Gosling (1976), The Chrysanthemum manual

K.G. Bodman, I. K. Hughes and S. A. Lacey (1985),

Growing Chrysanthemums

J. H. Lee, E. Heuvelink and H. Challa, (2004), Effects of planting date and

plant density on crop growth of cut chrysanthemum

B. Rosie Lerner (2005), Pinch Your Mum

http://www.daytonnursery.com/tips/Garden%20Mums.htm
HRT 3006

AMALAN PERLADANGAN: TURF DAN HORTIKULTUR HIASAN/LANDSKAP

PROPOSAL

EFFECT OF POTASSIUM FERTILIZER ON GROWTH AND FLOWERING

CHRYSANTHEMUM

RIZAIDI BIN RAZAK 145957

ZULFAHMI BIN AHMAD SAIBI 1460

MOHD FADZIL BIN MOHAMAD ZAKIR 147533

MOHD SAIFUL AZAM BIN ABDUL RAHMAN 146185

MOHD HAMBALI BIN MOHD JAILANI 147145

KHAIRUNNISA BINTI MOHD YASIN 147587

NADZARIAH BINTI KAMARUL ZAMAN 149308

MUHAMAD YATIM BIN MD YUNOS 150530

MOHD NURHAFIZ BIN SALIM 150331

NURUL NAJWA BINTI ANI @ MAHBAR 150580

BC.SC HORTIKULTUR