1. KAUTIR (Kerala Agricultural University Theses Information and Retrieval)
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Item Morphological characterization and cross compatibility studies in Hibiscus rosa sinensis(Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2025-01-30) Prejith Raj, S J.; Sheena, AItem Spacing and nutrient management for growth and follage yield in Dracaena fragrans cv. Massangeana(Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2025-02-24) Nandana Mohan.Item Antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of hibiscus genotypes(Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) in relation with flower colour(Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2025-02-24) Anchu Anna ShakesItem Vegetative propagation in orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata L. Jack)(Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2025-01-25) Yarrakula Venugopal; Resmi PaulMurraya paniculata L. Jack, commonly known as orange jasmine, belongs to the family Rutaceae. This versatile plant is highly valued for its ornamental appeal and various practical applications. Its leaves and stems are widely used as cut foliage in floral arrangements, bouquets, wreaths, and interior decorations. Fully bloomed trees, adorned with fragrant white flowers, make it striking specimen plant in gardens. Orange jasmine can be propagated through seeds, but sexually propagated plants take a long time to flower, and seeds are not available throughout the year. Vegetative propagation through cuttings is challenging due to their difficulty in rooting, creating a need for more effective propagation methods. With rising demand in the cut foliage industry, commercial cultivation of orange jasmine has increased, further emphasizing the need for accessible planting materials. Currently, most planting materials are sourced from specific centers, such as Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, which adds to the cultivation cost. To address these challenges, the present study entitled “Vegetative propagation in orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata L. Jack)” was carried out at the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping during 2022 2024. The study comprised of three experiments viz., standardization of propagation by cuttings, standardization of media for propagation of cuttings and standardization of air layering. In the first experiment, type of cutting and growth regulator treatment for propagation of orange jasmine was standardised. Softwood and semi hardwood cuttings were subjected to different treatments like coconut water (10 minutes) and various concentrations of growth regulators (IBA and NAA alone and combinations of IBA and NAA) for one minute during June 2024. Cuttings were then planted in polybags filled with soil, coir pith and FYM (2:1:1) and kept for rooting in side protected rain shelter. Softwood cuttings treated with 1000 ppm IBA exhibited increased sprouting (72.22 %), shoot length (8.52 cm), leaf number (4.56), rooting percentage (72.22 %), root number (15), root length (21.45 cm), root volume (2.91 cm3), fresh root weight (1.18 g) and dry root weight (0.157 g) at 120 days after planting. Softwood cuttings treated with 2000 ppm IBA exhibited early sprouting (8.67 days). Total phenol and flavonoid content in the basal part of the cuttings was lower in softwood cuttings treated with 1000 ppm IBA at 30 (phenol: 4.13 mg/g FW, flavonoid: 2.16 mg/g FW) and 45 (phenol: 3.45 mg/g FW, flavonoid: 1.73 mg/g FW) days after planting. Histological and external morphological observations revealed that adventitious roots of M. paniculata originated from the cambial cells of the xylem. These roots extended outwards through the phloem, schlerenchyma, cortex, epidermis, and callus tissue and emerged out. Unlike other species, no white callus tissue covering the base of the cuttings was observed in orange jasmine. In the second experiment, best treatment selected from the first experiment i.e. softwood cuttings treated with 1000 ppm IBA for one minute were planted in different rooting media such as control (soil: coir pith: FYM- 2:1:1), sand, sand + coir pith (1:1), sand + coir pith + soil (1:1:1), coir pith + vermiculite + perlite (3:1:1), coir pith + FYM (1:1) + VAM (10 g/ polybag) + Azospirillum (10 g/ polybag). Cuttings planted in coir pith + FYM (1:1) + VAM (10 g/ polybag) + Azospirillum (10 g/ polybag) performed well compared to other treatment combinations used in the study by recording minimum days for sprouting (9.50), maximum shoot length (6.24 cm), number of leaves (3.67), rooting percentage (66.67 %), number of roots (12.83), root length (19.94 cm), root volume (2.81 cm3), fresh weight of roots (0.99 g) and dry weight of roots (0.094 g) at three months after planting. When B:C ratio of two treatments (T1 and T6) when compared, T1 recorded higher B:C ratio (4.3) compared to T6 (2.9) and was found more economically viable. In the third experiment on air layering, after removal of bark from mature shoots, the girdled portion was treated with different plant growth regulators viz., IBA, IAA and NAA (1000 and 2000 ppm) and subjected to air layering during July 2024. Sphagnum moss was used as media for rooting purpose. Among the different treatments, IBA 2000 ppm performed well compared to other treatments tried in the study by recording less number of days for root initiation (27.67 days), maximum root length (8.26 cm), number of roots (62.33), root volume (2.41 cm3), minimum days for separation of air layers from the mother plant (56.67days) and higher survival percentage (76.67%) of the layers in the nursery. The present study revealed that softwood cuttings are better than semi hardwood cuttings for propagation of orange jasmine. Softwood cuttings treated with IBA 1000 ppm for one minute recorded superior growth parameters compared to other treatments. Suitable growing media identified for propagation of orange jasmine was coir pith + FYM (1:1) + VAM (10 g/ polybag) + Azospirillum (10 g/ polybag). Application of IBA 2000 ppm in the girdled portion of mature shoots of orange jasmine was found superior for air layering due to their better growth parametersItem Utilisation of male sterility and polyploidy for genetic improvement in targets spp.(College of Agriculture,Vellanikkara, 2023-05-11) Shilpa, P; KAU; Sreelatha, UMarigold (Tagets spp.) is a multifunctional annual crop which can be grown in wide range of climatic conditions. The area of this crop is being expanded with the wide use of marigold flowers in cosmetic, food coloring, poultry and pharmaceutical industries due to its high carotenoid content. Among 33 Tagetes species, African marigold (Tagetes erecta) and French marigold (Tagetes patula) are highly preferred for the commercial cultivation. Even though these two species together hold a large extent of area under cultivation in the country, prominent steps taken for the development of superior hybrids (inter varietal as well as inter-specific) from public sector is still narrower. One of the major reasons for this might be the complex flower structure of marigold as in any other Asteraceae crop. The way out from this problem is the utilisation of genetic male sterility that exists in Tagetes erecta. In this context, the study entitled “Utilization of male sterility and polyploidy for genetic improvement in Tagetes spp.” was undertaken in the department of Floriculture and Landscaping during 2019-2022. As a preliminary parental evaluation, 20 marigold genotypes with 12 testers (10 African marigold and 2 French marigold genotypes) and 8 male sterile lines were evaluated during 2019-20. The analysis on plant characters showed the superiority of the line KAU - Ms6 in terms of plant height (47.27 cm), plant spread (31.39 cm) and stem girth (2.98 cm) while Ms18 exhibited with the early flowering habit in terms of bud initiation (17.07 days) and 50 per cent flowering (24.33 days). Superiority with respect to floral characters viz., flower size and flower weight was observed in KAU - Ms42 (3.70 cm and 4.30 g respectively). The analysis on yield traits exhibited the superiority of the line KAU - Ms6 in terms of number of flowers (56.77) and yield per plant (119.91 g) while KAU – Ms42 with highest number of viable seeds per plant (60.17). The estimation of total carotenoids revealed that the line KAU – Ms18 produced maximum pigment (2.01 mg/g) while the lutein content estimated was highest in KAU – Ms5 (6.23 ppm). Among testers, KAU - M1 was marked with superiority in terms of plant spread (44.00 cm), stem girth (4.97 cm) and leaf area (47.14 cm2) while French marigold genotypes (KAU - M47 and KAU - M48) were recorded lowest plant height, spread, stem girth and leaf area. However, early flowering was noticed in the French marigold genotypes, KAU – M47 and KAU – M48, in terms of days to bud initiation (19.20 and 17.20 days respectively) and 50% flowering (22.67 and 32.00 days respectively), produced small sized flowers of 3.20 cm and 2.70 cm flower diameter and 1.27 g and 1.04 g flower weight respectively. Among the African marigold testers, KAU - M1 showed delayed flowering, large sized flowers (6.80 cm flower diameter) with highest flower weight (11.87 g). With regard to number of flowers and yield per plant, the genotypes KAU - M46 and KAU - M2 showed better performance (126.16 and 253.96 g/plant; 111.34 and 266.32 g/plant respectively). The estimated total carotenoids was maximum in KAU – M47 (4.86 mg/g) and lutein in KAU – M1 (10.23 ppm). The observations on the stem color and flower color revealed the difference among the genotypes. The flower color was almost similar for all the 8 genotypes (Orange N25 C and Orange N25 B) in male sterile lines, while in the case of testers, among African marigold types, almost all the genotypes were orange colored (Orange – N25 group), except KAU – M1 (Yellow 9 A) and KAU – M46 (White NN155 C). Based on the evaluation of parental genotypes, four lines (KAU - Ms6, KAU - Ms18, KAU - Ms24 and KAU - Ms42) and six testers (KAU - M1, KAU - M2, KAU - M4, KAU - M8, KAU - M40 and KAU - M47) were selected and a crossing block was established during 2020-21 in a line x tester model. The mean performance of twenty four hybrids highlighted the inter-specific hybrid ‘KAU - Ms6 x KAU - M47’ which showed very good hybrid vigour. The combining ability analysis revealed the best general combiners KAU - M47 for number of flowers and yield per plant (108.96 and 128.93 respectively) and KAU - M1 for yield per plant (42.07). Genotypes KAU - Ms18, KAU - Ms24 and KAU - M8 were estimated with highest GCA for total carotenoids (0.09, 0.17 and 0.09 respectively). According to RHS color chart, except in the case of interspecific hybrids, all the other crosses were found to be showing the flower color of ‘Orange – N25’ group with shade of A, B and C. The interspecific hybrids KAU – Ms6 x KAU – M47, KAU – Ms6 x KAU – M47, KAU – Ms24 x KAU – M47 and KAU – Ms42 x KAU – M47 showed double colored flower heads with shades of ‘Orange N25 B and Red 46 A’. The good specific combiners identified for number of flowers and yield per plant were KAU - Ms6 x KAU - M47 (86.17 and 207.65 respectively), KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M2 (41.26 and 125.14 respectively) and KAU - Ms18 x KAU - M40 (19.95 and 93.17 respectively). In terms of total carotenoids, KAU - Ms6 x KAU - M2, KAU - Ms18 x KAU - M4, KAU - Ms24 x KAU - M1, KAU - Ms24 x KAU - M40, KAU - Ms24 x KAU - M47, KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M2, KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M8 and KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M47 were estimated with best SCA. On the estimation of heterosis for number of flowers and yield per plant, the inter-specific cross KAU - Ms6 x KAU - M47 recorded superiority in terms of relative heterosis (RH – 254.87%), heterobeltiosis (HB – 159.48%) and standard heterosis (SH – 380.63%). Other crosses which exhibited significant SH for yield per plant were KAU - Ms18 x KAU - M1 (61.22%), KAU - Ms18 x KAU - M47 (60.74%), KAU - Ms24 x KAU - M1 (47.22%), KAU - Ms24 x KAU - M47 (36.47%), KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M1 (43.73%), KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M2 (70.93%) and KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M47 (38.88%). With respect to total carotenoid, the hybrid KAU - Ms18 x KAU - M4 exhibited highest significant heterosis (RH – 104.29%, HB – 11.89% and SH – 32.0%). Experiment on polyploidisation of male sterile lines (KAU - Ms6) using two different concentration of colchicine (0.05% and 0.1%) for 1, 3 and 5 hours was conducted. Among the treatments, the lower colchicine concentration for short duration (0.05% for 1 hour) resulted in highest survival of seedlings (37.00%) and potted plants (27.02%). The treatment with 0.05% colchicine for 1 hour exhibited the most dwarf, compact and sturdy plants compared to other treatments. The analysis of stomatal characters also revealed larger stomata and low stomatal density with higher concentration and duration of colchicine, with highest stomatal size of 35.97 μm length and 11.49 μm width. The lowest stomatal density was observed for the treatment 0.1% colchicine for 3 hours (107.39). The ploidy levels of the variants through flow cytometry detected tetraploids. From the overall performance the seed treatment with 0.05% for 1 hour could be observed as the best for tetraploid indction which recorded maximum survival of plants, compact sturdy growth and larger sized stomata. Vegetative propagation of male sterile lines through cuttings was experimented as an alternative to the sib-mating method of maintaining the male sterile lines. Herbaceous cuttings collected from KAU - Ms42 were treated with growth regulators NAA and IBA at 100, 200, 300 and 400 ppm concentrations. Among the treatments, of the highest per cent of rooting with good survival of plants in pots was observed with the NAA 300 ppm (50.83% and 74.12% respectively). Considering per cent rooting of cuttings and survival of plants after transplanting to pots, NAA 300 ppm could be recommended as the best treatment. The present investigation on “Utilisation of male sterility and polyploidy for genetic improvement in Tagetes spp.” resulted in two heterotic hybrids viz. KAU - Ms6 x KAU - M47 and KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M2, for loose flower as well as landscaping purpose while three hybrids for total carotenoid content (KAU - Ms24 x KAU - M40, KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M2 and KAU - Ms42 x KAU - M47).Item Morphological characterisation of jasmine (Jasminum spp.)(Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, College of Agriculture,Vellanikkara, 2023-03-10) Nithisha, K; Anupama, T VJasmine is one of the oldest fragrant flowers cultivated by man, which belongs to the family Oleaceae. Although there is high demand for jasmine in Kerala for different occasions, large-scale cultivation is not common. It is crucial to assess the accessions for their characters that will aid in choosing the best genotype for commercial cultivation and crop improvement. In this context, the present study “Morphological characterisation of jasmine (Jasminum spp.)” was undertaken with the objective of evaluating jasmine accessions by using various morphological characters. The experiment was conducted in the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara from Oct 2021 to Nov 2022. A total of twenty one accessions, including seventeen accessions maintained by AICRP on Floriculture, Kerala Agricultural University and four accessions collected from various parts of Malappuram and Thrissur district were utilised for the study. Morphological characters, viz., plant growth, leaf, floral and post-harvest characters were evaluated in the twenty one accessions. The study revealed significant differences among the accessions for almost all the characters. The jasmine accessions exhibited two types of plant growth habits: bush and climber. Out of twenty-one accessions evaluated, a comparatively large number (eighteen) of accessions were observed to be bushy. Plant height, number of primary and secondary branches also varied among the accessions. Pigmentation in young shoots was recorded in Jasminum nitidum accession KAU Jn 1 and TNAU Jn 1, and Jasminum sambac accessions KAU Js 3 and KAU Js 5. Seventy-six per cent of jasmine accession exhibited simple leaf type. In the remaining twenty-four per cent, pinnately compound and trifoliate compound leaves were noticed. Significant variations in leaf length and leaf breadth among the accessions were recorded. The highest leaf length was recorded in TNAU Jn 1(10.22 cm) while higher leaf breadth was noticed in KAU Js 2 (05.35 cm). KAU Js 2 was superior in terms of leaf area (29.60 cm2 ). All the jasmine accessions were having opposite phyllotaxy. The dominant leaf tip type in jasmine accessions was the sharp leaf tip. Most of the accessions were devoid of leaf pubescence, only accessions belonging to Jasminum multiflorum and Jasminum auriculatum showed pubescence in leaves. Floral characters showed significant variations for all the parameters. While 80 % of the accessions recorded terminal and axillary flower bearing positions, the remaining twenty per cent of accessions had terminal flower bearing position. Most of the accessions showed cluster bearing habit and single whorled type flowers. Doublewhorled (KAU Js 2) and multi-whorled (KAU Js 4, KAU Js 8 and KAU Js 9) flower types were seen in 5% and 14 %, respectively. Pointed and round shaped flower buds were dominant in jasmine accessions. The majority of the accession exhibited white flower and flower bud colour. While, some accessions such as KAU Jm 3, KAU Jn 1, KAU Jn 2, TNAU Jn 1 and CO 2 Pitchi were having pink coloured flower buds. The highest flower bud length was observed in J. grandiflorum accessions, meanwhile, flower bud width was high in J. sambac accessions (KAU Js 1 and KAU Js 11). Significantly highest flower diameter was noted in the accessions TNAU Jn 1 and KAU Jn 1. The number of petals was high in J. sambac accession KAU Js 4, while low in J. grandiflorum accessions. A longer corolla tube length was noticed in Jasminum coarctatum (2.54 cm). Most of the accessions had fragrant flowers, except KAU Jm 2 and KAU Jm 3. With respect to the season of flowering, most of the accessions were found to be seasonal and some were observed to flower throughout the year (J. multiflorum and J. nitidum). The accession KAU Jm 1 was found superior in terms of total flower yield. Seed setting was noticed in J. auriculatum (KAU Ja 1), J. coarctatum (KAU Jc 1), J. nitidum (KAU Jn 2) and J. sambac (KAU Js 3). A close association between GCV and PCV were noted for most of the characters, indicating that the variations in these characters were due to the effect of genotype, and environment had little effect. High heritability and genetic advance indicated the additive gene effect and scope for selection and crop improvement. The residual effects for path analysis were 0.009 indicating, the selected eleven flower yield attributing characters all together contributed about 99 per cent of the variation in hundred flower weight per plant. Cluster diagram based on quantitative characters indicated that there exists much diversity among the accessions. The accessions were ranked for loose flower purpose, essential oil extraction and landscaping purpose. Based on the floral characters the accessions KAU Jm 3, KAU Jn 1, KAU Js 2, KAU Js 3, KAU Jm 2, TNAU Jn 1, KAU Js 9, KAU Js 1, KAU Js 11, KAU Jc 1 were found superior for loose flower purpose, while KAU Jn 1, TNAU Jn 1, KAU Jm 2, KAU Jm 3, KAU Js 2, KAU Jm 1, KAU Js 9, KAU Jg 1, KAU Js 8, CO 2 Pitchi were found superior for landscape purpose. For the extraction of jasmine concrete, the accessions KAU Ja 1 and all the accessions of Jasminum grandiflorum were found higher rank.Item Evaluation of vanda orchids for commercial traits(Department of pomology and floriculture, College of horticulture,Vellanikkara, 2015) Minnu Sebastian; Geetha, C KThe investigation on the evaluation of Vanda orchids was conducted at the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, during 2013-‘14 with the objective of evaluating the field performance for commercial exploitation. Thirty Vanda varieties/ hybrids were selected for the study. They were evaluated for their height, spread, shoot characters (nature, girth, internodal length), leaf characters (length, breadth, area, number, interval of leaf production, leaf sheath characters), root characters (length, girth, number), floral characters (days from spike emergence to opening, longevity of spike, interval of spike production, annual production of spike, blooming period, number of florets per spike, individual flower life, flower size, features of petal, lip and column) under field conditions, as well as post harvest parameters (spike longevity, number of buds opening in vase, physiological loss in weight, water uptake and floret span). The varieties exhibited wide variation in both vegetative and floral characters. Maximum plant height was observed in V. Pompimol and the minimum in V. Thailand Beauty. V. Kasem’s Delight x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob recorded the maximum plant spread and V. Pachara Delight Pink the minimum. Shoot girth and internodal length were the maximum in V. Taweesuksa x V. Kultana Gold x V. Green Gold and V. Pakchong New Land x V. Annette Jones, respectively while the minimum was recorded by V. Varuvathe Pink and V. Thailand Beauty, respectively. Leaf number was maximum in V. Prapawan and the minimum in V. Apec Blue. Leaf length as well as leaf area were the maximum in V. Pompimol, whereas the least values for these characters were for V. Prapawan and V. Anek Delight, respectively. V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan recorded the maximum leaf breadth and V. Fuchs Delight, the minimum. Interval of leaf production was the maximum in V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight and the least in V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan. Among the vanda varieties, V. Apec Blue recorded, the maximum number of roots whereas V. Anek Delight and V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan had maximum root length and girth, respectively and the minimum was in V. Varuvathe Pink, V. Urbchitr x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob and V. Dr Anek x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob, respectively. The duration from spike emergence to opening of florets was the maximum in V. Urbchitr x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob. Time required for opening florets (first and 50%) was the least for V. Apec Blue and V. Anek Delight, respectively. Spike longevity was the maximum for V. Madame Rattana and the minimum for V. Anek Delight. Interval of spike production was the maximum in V. Pompimol and the minimum in V. Pranermprai x V. tessellata. Accordingly, annual spike production was the minimum in V. Pompimol and it was the highest in V. Pathum Gold. Spike characters, like length was maximum in V. Kultana Delight Red, while girth in V. Urbchitr x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob .The rachis length and number of florets were the maximum in V. Thailand Beauty and the minimum in V. Varuvathe Pink. The internodal length between florets was the maximum in V. Prapawan and the minimum in V. Red Gem. Lip length and flower size recorded the highest values in V. Pompimol whereas column length was the highest in V. Dr Anek x V. Mimi Palmer. All these characters were the lowest in V. Red Gem. The life of individual floret on the spike was the maximum for V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight and the minimum in V. Pakchong New Land x V. Annette Jones. Among the post harvest characters, spike longevity (vase life) was the maximum in V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight followed by V. Thailand Beauty and the minimum in V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan. The life span of each floret was also high in V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight. The qualitative characters of vanda varieties/hybrids differed in all aspects. The leaves were channelled, smooth, rigid and green coloured, with no pigmentation. Three types of leaf apex, viz., tridentate, praemorse and emarginate were observed. The leaves were arranged alternately and were oriented as straight or horizontal with an arching tendency. Varying petal shapes and curvatures were observed. The petal margin was undulated in most of the cases and rarely entire. Uniform, spotted as well as blotched colour patterns were seen in the petals. Lip-lobe shapes and lip curvature were varying in the varieties. Lip apex was bilobed in most cases; acute or truncate apices were also noticed. Lip surface was glabrous, usually single or double coloured whereas it was triple coloured in V. Pathum Gold and V. Robert’s Delight. Lip colour pattern was uniform or streaked or spotted. The column colour pattern was uniform, streaked, blotched or spotted. Spur type was found to be cylindrical in most varieties and saccate in some. The variety V. Pranermprai x V. tessellata possessed good fragrance. Considering the overall quantitative and qualitative parameters, V. Pathum Gold, V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan, V. Pachara Delight Pink, V. Apec Blue, V. Prapawan, V. Urbchitr x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob and V. Thailand Beauty were excellent, both for cut flower production and as pot plants. V. Pranermprai x V. tessellata and V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight have more potential for use as cut flower whereas V. Red Gem and V. Anek Delight were excellent as pot plants.Item Ecophysiology and screening for climate change resilience in Mango (Mangifera indica L.) genotypes(Department of Pomology and Floriculture College of Agriculture,Vellayani, 2019) Aswini, A; Jyothi BhaskarItem Nutrient standardization in banana (Musa AAB. POPOULU)(Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2019) Sruti S Nair; Bindu, BItem Evaluation of fragrant vandaceous orchids for ornamental traits(Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2017) Deepa, T; Geetha, C KTwenty five fragrant vandaceous orchids were evaluated in the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping during the period from June 2016 to May 2017 with the objective of classifying them based on aesthetic and economic parameters for commercial exploitation as value added plants. The varieties exhibited wide variation in both vegetative and floral characters. Considering quantitative characters, Vasco Crownfox Red Gem recorded the maximum plant height (68.73cm), spread (52.23cm), internodal length (1.95cm) and leaf length (33.83cm). V. Pranerm Prai x V. tessellata showed maximum shoot girth (4.99cm), leaf area (105.54cm2), leaf number (37) and root length (181.75cm). The least values for all these characters were for Neostylis Lou Sneary. Duration from spike emergence to opening of florets was the maximum in Ascda Peggy Foo x Rhyn. Coelestis Blue and minimum in Neostylis Lou Sneary. Maximum spike longevity was recorded in V. Rothschildiana (29.30 days) whereas it was minimum in Rhy Sri Siam x Rhy gigantia (7.50 days). Interval of spike production was also the longest in Ascda. Peggy Foo x Rhyn. coelestis Blue and the minimum in Rhynchorides Bangkok Sunset. Spike production was the maximum in Neostylis Lou Sneary, followed by Ascda Srichai and Vasco Crownfox Red Gem. The varieties/ hybrids varied with regard to blooming period. The peak flowering was from May to July. Longer spike and rachis were noticed in Aerides quinque Vulnera Rhy. Coelestis. Vasco Blue Bay Pink had the highest number of florets/ spike and the shortest internodal length. Largest flowers were observed in V. Rothschildiana. Petal and labellum of the varieties also exhibited different colour patterns such as uniform, spotted, netted, tessellated and shaded. All the evaluated varieties were fragrant and were categorized based on different notes such as floral, fruity, spicy, green, sweet and miscellaneous. Fragrance was very faint in V. Rothschildiana whereas it was musty in Darwineria Cream Puff. With respect to the post-harvest characters longevity (vase life) was the maximum in V. JVB X Ascda Yip Sum Wah (17.30 days) and individual floret life (8.13 days) in V. Rothschildiana. Colour and pigmentation, texture, shape, pattern and size of florets as well as arrangement of florets on the spike were considered for the visual evaluation of a variety for use as cut flower. Considering the overall qualitative and quantitative attributes, Vascostylis Crownfox Red Gem, Vasco Blue Bay Blue, Rhynchorides Bangkok Sunset, V. Mimi Palmer, V. JVB X Ascda Yip Sum Wah and Vasco Blue Bay Pink were excellent for cut flower production. Plant quality evaluation was done based on fullness, growth and visual appearance, flower colour and pigmentation, spike longevity, shape and arrangement of foliage during the growth period. Fragrance scoring was also done based on intensity and diffusiveness, newness and beautifulness of fragrance. Based on the flowering phenology, four phenophases, namely, November – January, February – April, May – July and August – September were recorded and the varieties were categorized accordingly. Side-runs with different colour combinations were observed within a phenophase. The varieties were also categorized on the basis of flower colour, number of florets/ spike and floret size, longevity of spike on the plant , number of spikes produced / year and fragrance. Considering overall quantitative and qualitative characteristics, the evaluated varieties/ hybrids were categorized for cut flower, indoor and outdoor gardens for commercial exploitation as value added plants. The fragrance also makes it a novelty in landscaping to create a peaceful, relaxing environment.