Role of Micronutrients in Enhancing Floral Quality and Shelf Life of Ixora coccinea

Diverse agro-climatic conditions in India provide an optimal environment for cultivating ornamental crops, including Ixora coccinea (West Indian Jasmine). This evergreen shrub, known for its striking year-round bloom clusters, holds significant commercial, ornamental, and ecological value. Despite its promise as a high-value loose-flower crop, there is a lack of research focused on optimizing its cultivation practices like spacing, irrigation, and nutrient requirements, particularly for micronutrient management for enhancing flower yield and quality. This study investigates the impact of foliar-applied micronutrients on Ixora's flowering, physiological, and post-harvest parameters from 2021 to 2022 at the Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The study evaluated four Ixora varieties (Red, Pink, Orange, and Yellow) under five foliar micronutrient treatments, including FeSO₄, ZnSO₄, and boric acid, applied at monthly intervals. A Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) was used to assess the varietal and treatment-specific responses systematically. The results showed significant improvement in floral and post-harvest traits across all the treatments. Among the varieties, Pink (V₂) demonstrated the best performance, with a flower bud length of 5.15 cm, bud width of 0.38 cm, and corolla tube length of 3.73 cm. This variety also exhibited the longest shelf life, lasting 5.20 days under ambient conditions and 6.21 days under refrigerated conditions. The interaction between the pink variety (V₂) and the foliar treatment of NPK + FeSO₄ (0.5%) + ZnSO₄ (0.5%) + boric acid (0.2%) (V₂ × T₄) produced optimal results, with a flower bud length of 5.44 cm, bud width of 0.44 cm, corolla tube length of 3.95 cm, and an extended shelf life of 6.09 days at room temperature and 7.13 days under refrigerated conditions. Foliar micronutrient applications significantly improved the nutrient uptake, photosynthetic efficiency, and also the overall flower quality. This study highlights the importance of strategic micronutrient management in enhancing the yield, quality, and profitability of Ixora flowers, offering promising opportunities for empowering small and marginal farmers and advancing India's floriculture sector.