There are different varieties of gladiolus like Arka Gold, Darshan, Arka Amar, Arka Naveen, KumKum, KKL 1, Pusa Srijana, Pusa Unnati, Pusa Manmohak, Pusa Red Valentine, Pusa Vidushi, Pusa Gunjan, Pus Bindiya, Pusa Subhangini, Nazrana , Jester, Novalux, American Beauty, Red Ginger, Summer pearl, Charms Glow, Tiger frame etc. Description for some of the popular varieties of Gladiolus is given below.
1.Arka Amar
This variety is released by IIHR, Bangalore. Florets are pink in colour with white blotch. It produces 30.24 spikes /m2 / crop season. It is high yielding and cut flower has a vase life of 8.5 days.
2.Arka Gold
This variety is released by IIHR, Bangalore. Florets are Yellow in colour with a red blotch. It produces 24.80 spikes /m2 / crop season. It comes to flowering 74 days after planting.
3.Arka Naveen
This variety is released by IIHR, Bangalore. Florets are purple with pale yellow blotch, wavy tepals. It produces 27.68 spikes /m2 / crop season. Cut flower vase life is 9 days.
4.Archana
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a cross between G. Psittacinus ‘Sylvia’ x G. ‘Friendship’. The spike is branched with a mean spike length of 80cm. The petals have a central white streak with the throat blotched with prime rose yellow. There is 16-18 florets/spike.
5.Aarti
This variety is released by IIHR, Bangalore. It is a cross between ‘Shriley’ and ‘Melody’. It is a midseason variety requiring 70 days for flowering. Spikes are attractive and 93cm long. The florets are light orange with red and yellow blotch and red spots. There are 12-13 florets per spike. Cut flower life is 6 days.
6.Apsara
This variety is released by IIHR, Bangalore. It is a hybrid from the cross between “Black Jack’ x ‘Friendship’. It is an early flowering variety, which flowers in 55 days after planting. The spikes are strong, dazzling and 117cm long. The florets are purple with tight yellow flecks in the throat. There are 18 florets per spike. Cut flower life is for 8 days.
7.Aldebaran
It is an exotic variety having a mean spike length of 62cm. The petals are Straw Yellow in colour with throat blotched with Signal red colour. There are 12-14 florets per spike.
8.Basant Bhar
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a seedling produced by selfing G. ‘Tunias Challenge’. Mean spike length is 50cm. The florets are Empire Yellow with throats speckled magenta. There is 14 florets/spike.
9.Friendship
It is an exotic variety having a branched spike with a mean length of 75cm. The upper outer lower petal and inner upper two petals towards the apex are dawn pink in colour. There are 18-20 florets per spike.
10.Gazel
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a seedling produced by selfing G. ‘White Friendship’. Mean spike length is 35cm. The florets are Fuchsine pink with darker tips and linear shading while the throat is persian yellow. There are 14-18 florets/spike.
11.Grock
It is an exotic variety having a mean spike length of 72cm. The florets are oriental blue in colour with throat blotched violet purple and ruby red. There are 16-18 florets per spike. Jacksonville Gold: It is an exotic variety having a mean spike length of 68cm. The florets are empire yellow in colour. There are 14-16 florets per spike.
12.Jwala
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a seedling produced by selfing G. psittacinus hybrid. The spikes are branched with a mean spike length of 65cm. The florets are Vermilion with sparingly spread long liner streaks of Vermilion. There are 14-18 florets per spike.
13.Manhar
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a cross between G. ‘Friendship’ x G. ‘tristis’. The spikes are one sided with a mean spike length 60 cm. The florets are Primrose Yellow and the tips of outer three petals are splashed with Tyrian Rose. There are 14-18 florets per spike.
14.Manisha
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a cross between G. ‘Friendship’ x G. ‘tristis’. The spikes are one sided with a mean spike length 60cm. The florets are white with outer three petals splashed with Tyrian Rose colour more towards margins. There are 14-16 florets per spike.
15.Manmohan
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a cross between G. ‘Friendship’ x G. ‘tristis’. The spikes are one sided with a mean spike length 80 cm. The florets are Primrose Yellow having irregular splashes of Orchid Purple colour at the tips of outer three petals. There are 14-16 florets per spike.
16.Mohini
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a cross between G. ‘Friendship’ x G. ‘tristis’. The spikes are one sided with a mean spike length 60cm. The florets are white with outer three and inner upper petal heavily splashed with Tyrian Rose and lower inner two sparsely splashed with the same colour. There are 12-14 florets per spike.
17.Mukta
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a cross between G. ‘Friendship’ x G. ‘tristis’. The spikes are one sided with a mean spike length 70cm. The florets are Sulphur Yellow with splashes of Orchid purple in irregular fashion. There are 12-15 loosely arranged florets per spike.
18.Meera
This variety is released by IIHR, Bangalore. It is a cross between ‘G.P.I’ x ‘Friendship’. It is an early flowering variety, which flowers in 58 days after planting. The spikes are robust, bewitching and 106cmlong. The florets are snow white in colour. There are 18 florets per spike. Cut flower life is for 8 days. Ideal for cut flower and display purposes.
19.Phule Prerna
This variety is released from MPKV, Rahuri. It has variable pink shades on the dull white coloured petals. It is an early flowering variety. Flower stocks are longer. There are 16 florets per spike. It produces 250 cormels per plant. Spike length 117 cm. Rachis length 60 cm. It produces 1.65 lakhs spikes per hectare. It has longer vase life (10 days). Less susceptible to wilt disease.
20.Pitambar
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is a cross between G. ‘Friendship’ x G. ‘tristis’. The spikes are branched with a mean spike length 64 cm. The florets are Uranium Green towards the edge with throats having a streak of Orchid purple colour. There are 15-16 overlapping florets per spike.
21.Poonam
This variety is released by IHR, Bangalore. It is a cross between ‘Geliber Herald’ x ‘R.N. 121’. It is a mid-season cultivar, which flowers in 61 days of planting. The spikes are 98 cm long. The florets are light yellow in colour. There are 17 florets per spike. Cut flower life is for 7 days. It is tolerant to Fusarium wilt disease.
22.Pusa Unnati
It is a gladiolus hybrid released from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. It is a cross between Berlew × Heady Wine (Tall). This attains a height of 158.66 cm and produced spikes having spike length of 141.00 cm and rachis length of 71.00 cm.
23.Pusa Manmohak
This variety is released from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. It is a selection among the progeny obtained from the cross of Mayur ×HuntingSong. It is a mid-maturing variety flowering in about 100-105 days and duration of flowering ranges from 20-25 days. The florets are saffron red with thin whitish stripes on the throat of two oppositely placed lower tepals. Spikes are more than 93 cm in length with good rachis length (>55 cm) and 19-21 numbers of florets per spike.
24.Pusa Srijana
It is a gladiolus hybrid released from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. It is a cross between Berlew × Wine. Pusa Srijana attains a height of 103.22 cm having spike length of 85.25 cm, rachis length of 49.55 cm with 16.66 number of florets/spike.
25.Pusa Red Valentine
This variety is released from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. It is a selection among the open pollinated population of the variety Regency. It flowers in about 95 days. Spikes are straight and long with good rachis length (about 50- 55 cm) and have a close arrangement of 18-19 florets on each spike. Florets are brick or blood red in colour with sun ray like small lines on the lower tepals which make them more attractive.
26.Pusa Vidushi
This variety is released from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. It is a selection among the progeny obtained from the cross of Melody x Berlew. It is an early and mid-maturing variety, first florets open in 80-85 days after planting. Spikes are straight with good rachis length and have 15- 16 florets per spike. The florets are arranged compactly on the spike. At a time about 5-6 florets remain open which enhance the beauty of spikes when kept in vases. Florets are purplish white in colour with grey purple spots on base of the throat.
27.Sapna
This variety is released by IIHR, Bangalore. It is a hybrid from the cross ‘Green Woodpecker x ‘Friendship’. It is an early flowering variety, which flowers in 60 days after planting. The spikes are strong, magnificent and 83cm long. The florets are light yellow in colour with greenish yellow blotch and light red tinge on margins. There are 17 compact florets per spike. Cut flowers last for 8 days in vase. It is moderately tolerant to Fusarium wilt disease.
28.Shobha
This variety is released by IIHR, Bangalore. It is an induced mutant of var. ‘Wild Rose’. It is an early flowering variety, which flowers in 60 days after planting. The spikes are pleasing and 105cm long. The florets are light pink with creamy throat. There are 18 florets per spike. The vase life of cut flowers is for 7 days.
29.Shree Ganesh
This variety is released from MPKV, Rahuri. It is an FI hybrid (Sancerre x Oscor), most promising in respect of growth flowering and corm and cormel production. Good acceptance in the market. The unopened florets (dorsal side) are pale yellow while fully opened florets (Ventral side) are dull-white. Longer vase life. Length of spike 117 c m, produces 19 florets per spike. The colour of spike is green. Placement of florets on a spike is alternate and compact. Produces 2.15 corms and 69 cormels per plant. Average yield is 2.08 lakh spikes per hectare.
The unopened florets (dorsal side) are pale yellow while fully opened florets (Ventral side) are dull-white. Longer vase life. Length of spike 117 c m, produces 19 florets per spike. The colour of spike is green. Placement of florets on a spike is alternate and compact. Produces 2.15 corms and 69 cormels per plant. Average yield is 2.08 lakh spikes per hectare.
30.Smita
It is an Indian bred late season hybrid developed from a seedling of G. ‘Lavanesque’. The mean spike length is 45 cm. The florets are China Rose in colour with darker margins. There are 14-15 florets per spike.
31.Triloki
This variety is released by NBRI, Lucknow. It is an Indian bred late season hybrid developed by crossing G. ‘Friendship’ x G. ‘tristis’. The spikes are one sided with a mean spike length of 75cm. The florets are China Rose in upper half portion and Primrose Yellow in the lower half. The petals have splashes of China Rose along the margins. There are 14-15 florets per spike.
32.White Goddess
It is an exotic variety having a branched spike with a mean spike length of 65cm. The florets are white in colour with throat blotched violet purple. There are 17- 20 florets per spike.
Source-
- Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Ela, Old Goa, Goa
