The use of different growing media offers a valuable alternative to the conventional use of soil for quality flower production due to their good water holding capacity, aeration and nutrient status. The experiment was conducted in a Completely Randomised Design with three replications in the years 2021–2022 to study the influence of different compositions of growing media [Soil, Sand, Vermicompost, Cocopeat, Vermiculite, Perlite and Leaf mould] in different ratios on the growth and development of pot mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.).The growing media compositions of cocopeat, vermicompost and leaf moulds improve the water retention and aeration of media. The results revealed vegetative growth with maximum plant height at first bud appearance, plant height at harvesting stage, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, number of leaves per plant, leaf biomass, average fresh weight of leaf, dry weight of root and flowering parameters with maximum flower longevity, flower diameter, number of flowers per plant, number of ray florets, average fresh weight of flower, flower yield per plant and vase life of flower in case of media composition of Cocopeat + Vermicompost + Leaf mould (2:1:1) among all the growing media compositions. The combination of cocopeat with vermicompost and leaf mould (2:1:1 v/v/v) was found best for lighter media weight, better plant morphological development and sustained quality flower production of pot mum.

Chrysanthemums are popular worldwide due to their beautiful range of colors, shapes, and flower sizes. Since they are in high demand during the off seasons, the present investigation was carried out on the effect of covering materials on off-season flower production of chrysanthemums during 2022-23. The covering materials used in the experiment included tarpaulin and three cultivars, each of standard and spray type. In the present investigation, the profitability of six chrysanthemum flower cultivars i.e. White Star, Yellow Star, Purnima, Surf, Apricot Parasol, and Wellspring White were assessed under two types of covering materials i.e. HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) and Tarpaulin. The results show that Yellow Star (2.08) with HDPE as a covering material performs best in w.r.t. return on investment followed by Surf (2.01). In contrast, the cultivar Wellspring White has the lowest BCR of 1.38. The cultivar White Star (1.92) and Apricot Parasol (1.65) have moderate BCRs. The results further showed that the cultivar Yellow Star has the highest BCR value among others when HDPE is used as a covering material. The study also presents the yield and profitability of these cultivars under Tarpaulin covering. Yellow Star (1.64) has the maximum BCR, followed by white Star (1.25) which was almost twice that of Purnima (0.88). Surf and Apricot Parasol also have typical BCRs (0.94 and 0.81, respectively), while Wellspring White has a minimum BCR of 0.73. Finally, the study revealed that Yellow Star is the most beneficial variety in terms of yield and return under both HDPE and Tarpaulin, followed by White Star and Purnima. These results provide valuable insights for both cut flower farms and investors, highlighting the significance of cultivar choice and covering material type when making investment or resource allocation decisions.

A pot experiment was carried out at Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda to ascertain the effect of different potting media on growth and flowering parameters of snapdragon. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design with eight treatments replicated thrice consisting of five pots per replication. The media compositions comprised of T₁-Soil + Sand + FYM (2:1:1), T₂-Soil + Sand + Vermicompost (2:1:1), T₃-Soil + Sand + Vermicompost + Cocopeat (1:1:1:1), T₄-Cocopeat + Perlite + Vermicompost (2:1:1), T₅-Cocopeat + Vermicompost + Vermiculite (2:1:1), T₆-Cocopeat + Perlite + Leaf Mould (2:1:1), T₇-Cocopeat + Vermicompost + Leaf Mould (2:1:1) and T₈-Soil + Leaf Mould + Sand (2:1:1). Analysis of results revealed that among different media compositions, growing media T₅ was found to be best for plant height (21.33 cm), plant spread (22.88 cm), number of branches (16.24), number of leaves (409.53), flower bud diameter (0.53 cm) and number of flowers (28.13). Earliness in flower bud initiation (41.80 days) was recorded in T₃ and T₂ whereas T₂ exhibited minimum days to flower bud opening (50.33 days). Highest root length (11.83 cm) was recorded at full bloom stage in media composition T₅ whereas, maximum root spread (14.27 cm) was recorded with the treatment T₃. Therefore, it can be concluded that T₅ media composition Cocopeat + Vermicompost + Vermiculite (2:1:1) was found best for growth and flowering of snapdragon.

The field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of fertilizers, manures and liquid consortia on vegetative and floral characters in marigold cv. Pusa Narangi Gainda. The experiment was conducted at Research Farm, Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture, Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda during September 2021 to January 2022. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) comprising of 10 treatments. Application of 75 % Recommended Dose of Fertilizer (RDF) + vermicompost @ 10 t/ha + liquid consortia @ 625 mL/ha was most effective in increasing the vegetative parameter such as maximum number of primary branches (25.4), maximum number of leaves per plant (258.1), maximum plant spread (41.7 cm), leaf area (45.3 cm2). Further, the treatment also performed better for floral parameters such as first bud initiation (36.2 days), days to first flowering (45.7 days), duration of flowering (61.1 days), number of flowers per plant (34.2), flower yield per plant (0.295 kg) and flowers weight per plot (5.928 kg). Whereas maximum plant height (75.62 cm), stem diameter (12.25 mm), flower diameter (6.1 cm) and flower weight (l.177 g) were recorded in the treatment applied with 75 % RDF + Farmyard Manure (FYM) @ 20 t/ha + liquid consortia 625 mL/ha.