Abstract: Chrysanthemum (
Dendranthema x grandiflora Tzvelev) is a popular ornamental flower cherished worldwide and widely used as loose flowers in India. However, the perishability and inconsistency in the quality of chrysanthemum flowers pose marketing challenges, rendering losses to the farmers. The production of value-added products like garlands and venis can reduce postharvest losses, increase profits, and create new employment opportunities. The present study was conducted at the Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr. YSPUHF, Nauni, Solan to morphologically characterize eight genotypes of chrysanthemum to assess their suitability for loose flower production and then prepare value-added products from the flowers of selected genotypes for carrying out the cost analysis. The loose flowers and the value-added products were assessed for their marketability and profitability, among the genotypes evaluated for loose flower production, cv. ‘Solan Shringar’ outshined the other genotypes in terms of largest flowers, highest flower number per plant and postharvest shelf-life. For the value-added products derived from loose flowers, the highest returns on investment was observed for special garlands, followed by B:C ratio of ordinary garlands made from the cv. ‘Solan Shringar’. In comparison, the B:C ratio after selling loose flowers of the same cultivar was low. Based on these findings, it was concluded that, for maximizing profits under North-Indian conditions, cv. ‘Solan Shringar’ is recommended for loose flower production.
