Standardization of Spacing and Fertilizer Levels for Growth, Yield and Flower Quality of French Marigold (Tagetes patula L.)

This study investigated the standardization of spacing and fertilizer requirements for optimizing the growth and flower quality of French Marigold (Tagetes patula L.). The primary objective was to identify the most effective treatment combination for maximizing farmer profitability and yield. The experiment utilized three fertilizer levels (F1: 225:60:60 NPK kg/ha, F2: 168.75:45:45 NPK kg/ha, F3: 112.5:30:30 NPK kg/ha) and three spacing levels (S1: 30 cm x 30 cm, S2: 45 cm x 30 cm, S3: 45 cm x 45 cm) in a factorial randomized block design with three replications. Results indicated that plant height increased with a decrease in spacing and an increase in fertilizer levels. The S1F1 treatment combination (30 x 30 cm spacing and 225:60:60 NPK kg/ha) exhibited higher plant height, plant spread, and the number of primary and secondary branches. Flower production was significantly influenced by a spacing of 30 x 30 cm and a fertilizer level of 225:60:60 NPK kg/ha. Higher levels of spacing and fertilizer, i.e., 45 x 45 cm spacing and a fertilizer level of 225:60:60 NPK kg/ha yielded superior results in terms of flowering duration, flower diameter, flower weight, and shelf life of the flowers on the plant.