COLLEGE OF AGRICULTUREASSAM AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY,JORHAT

ASSIGNMENT ON CULTIVATION PRACTICES OF

ZANTEDESCHIA

INTRODUCTIONZantedeschia is commonly known as Calla lily.Perennial herb grown for their ornamental corolla

like spathe and attractive variegated foliage.Originated from South Africa. Newzealand is the biggest exporter of flower of

calla colored hybrid.

IMPORTANCE & USES Used for planting along with ponds and lake as border

plant or in bog garden. Attractive pot plant. Spathes are used as cutflower and leaves are used for

flower arrangement.

Fig: Border plant Fig: Pot plant Fig: Flower arrangement

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION• The plants are herbaceous with many

long petiole leaves arising from a thick rhizome.• Plant height an average of 30-90 cm.• The pollination is by flies.

CLASSIFICATION Classification can be represented in the

following manner:Division- Magnoliophta.Class- Liliopsida.Subclass- Arecidae.Order- Arales.Family- Araceae.Subfamily-PhilodendroidaeTribe- Zantedeschieae.

SPECIES• Most prominent commercial species are Z.

aethiopica ( white calla), Z. elliottianna (golden calla) and Z. rehmanni (pink calla), Z. melanoleuea (black throated calla).

• White calla is also known as ‘ Arum lily’.

Fig: white calla Fig: pink calla Fig: golden calla Fig: black throated calla

CULTIVAR

Several cultivars exist in the most prominent species, Zantedeschia aethiopica. Some of these are listed below:

Little gem: Plant height 30-40 cm, spathe 8-12 cm long and white

Devonensis: Dwarf, free bloomer and fragrant

Candidissima: Spathe large, pure white

Godefreyena: Smaller and free bloomer

Gigantea: Plant very large

Grandiflora: Spathe large

ENVIRONMENT FACTORS

• Light: the affect of irradiance level, day length on growth of flowering of zantedeschia were studied by Corn and Widmer, 1990.

• Proper light conditions are most important for calla lily. Different light conditions influence flowering, depending upon the genus.

The light conditions defined are:

Full sun: Satisfactory performance of plants when exposed to full sunlight for the entire day.

P.M sun: Satisfactory performance of the plants when exposed to full sunlight from noon to sunset.

A.M sun Satisfactory performance of the plants when exposed to full sunlight from dawn to noon.

25% continuous shade: Satisfactory performance of the plants when grown consistently under a 25% reduction of full sun light.

50% continuous shade: Satisfactory performance of the plants when grown consistently under 50% reduction of full sun light.

TEMPERATURE• Z. aethiopica cv. Childsiana a dwarf cultivar of

common white calla lily, in free branching and produce flower year round when grown below 18.5o night temperature.( Tija, 1989)

• Z. rehmannii plants grown at a growing medium temperature of 20-25⁰ C and an air temperature of 15 or 20⁰ C flowered earlier then at an ambient growing medium.

SOIL & CLIMATE• Zanthedeschia require rich loamy well drained soil

containing maximum organic matter.• Generally grown in raised bed having very good

drainage.• Ph of the soil should be 6.0 to 6.5.• Calla perform well when grown at tropical

temperate environment with a day and night temperature 18-25⁰ c and 12-18⁰ c respectively.

AGRO-TECHNIQUE

PROPAGATION• Calla lily conventionally multiplied through

rhizome.• Zantedeschia species is also propagated through

seed and by tissue culture( welsh 1990).

Fig: rhizome Fig: seed

Seed propagation

Seed are sown in the month of November. Seed germinate better at 21-27⁰ c.

Through rhizome where as in other species it is referred to as tuber.

Vegetative propagation

PLANTINGCallas are planted 30-40 cm apart in beds.2-3 rhizomes can be planted in 25 cm pot also.The rhizomes are needed to be planted in spring

and lifted in September- October.

Fig: plantings of calla lily

Singh et all (2001) described the recommendation of tuber spacing per square meter.

Tuber size(dia.): outdoor Greenhouse1cm 80 1002cm 60 803cm 35 604cm 25 405cm 15 30

POTTING• The dormant rhizome are potted singly in 5 or 6

inch pots in September and placed in cooled frame where they will form roots if kept moist.

• Repotting is necessary for those that are kept outside in pots.

• The pink calla tubers may be planted individually in pots with 4 inch diameter.

FERTILIZER APPLICATION & MANURING• Addition of well rotten cow dung at planting and

liquid manuring during the vegetative growth is useful to the plant.

• Fertilizer requirement for a 10 meter square plot is 40 kg FYM, 1 kg calcium ammonium nitrate, 2.5 kg SSP and 750 g MOP.

• For fertigation a ratio of 20:10:20 is recommended.

IRRIGATION & WEED CONTROL• Watering has been found to be very important in

early growth but water stagnation in the bed should be avoided.

• Singh et al (2001) reported drip irrigation to be preferred over sprinkler system.

• Weeding is required at its early growth phase.• Roundup and a pre-emergent application of

Simazine or Surflan is suggested for perennial weed.

USE OF GROWTH REGOLATOR• Treatment of rhizome with 50 ppm GA3 for 15

minutes and subsequent foliar spray of 100 ppm GA3 stimulated growth and flowering.

• Paclobutrazol and unicanazole @ 2 and 4 mg a.i./pot respectively applied as soil drencher reduced foliage height more then flower height.

HARVESTING OF FLOWER• Fully open flower but before pollen shed,

considered optimum stage for harvesting.• Depending on variety, callas flowers in 10 to 12

weeks from planting.• Rhizome should be at least 2 cm in diameter to

bear a flower.• By the third year, at least 24 long stemed flowers

appear in a plant.

LIFTING & CURRING OF RHIZOME• Rhizome are lifted from the soil by hand or by a

modified potato harvester.• Rhizome needs to be screened for soft rot disease

and those showing milky white tissue with bad smell should be removed.

• Thus the temperature and RH in the curing chamber or empty glass house should be maintained between 20-24⁰ c and 70-80%.

When curing is over root are removed and rhizome are placed topside up in boxes or trays with dry packing material like sawdust, wood shaving or rice hulls.

STORAGE• Storage at 20⁰ c results in rhizomes being ready for

replanting in 6-8weeks.• 12⁰ c permits storage of rhizomes up to 10

months.• Rhizomes stored for long period will have shorter

flower stem.

POSTHARVEST MANAGEMENT• The flowers should be picked during the coolest part of

the day and should be placed in water.• Adding preservative/germicide to the holding solution

is helpful.• Colored variety should be cooled down to 4⁰ c and

stored at 6-8⁰ c.• The long stemed callas are packed in bunches of 5 and

small stemed callas in 10.• The bunches are then packed in cardboard cartons

which are lined to cushion the flower and packed firmly to avoid flower movement during transit.

DISEASES

1. Fungal diseases:(a)Leaf spot- Fusarium oxysporum, F. solaniControl: remove infected leaf and fungicidal

spray.

C. Powdery mildew: Leveillula taurica, Control: spray with bavistin 0.1%.D. Root rot: Pythium myriotylum.

(b) Crown rot- Pellicularia filamentosa, Sclerotium delphinii

Control: use of disease free corm and soil sterilization.

Fig: root rot Fig: Powdery mildew

2. Bacterial disease:A. Bacterial soft rot: Pectobacterium carotovorum

var. aroideaeControl: growing of resistant cultivar eg: pink opal.Moderately resistant varieties: pacific pinkDipping rhizome in 200 ppm of streptomycin for 30

mins and in 10 % formaldehyde for 1 hr provided the second best control.

PESTS

• Aphids, mealy bug, bulb mites, thrives are among the pest reported on calla lily.

THANK YOU