By Sanduni K. Madarasinghe

1. Sanduni K. Madarasinghe
University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka

2. Tourism,
Tea export,
Textile,
Rice production &
Other agricultural products.
2
Floriculture
Cut flower
Live plants
Decorative
foliage species

3. 3
Cut flower refers to flowers or flower buds (often with
some stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant
bearing it.

4. 4
Typical uses are;
In vase displays
Wreaths
Garlands
To worship
For decorations
For bouquets
For therapeutic uses
For industrial purposes
As gifts

5. 5
I love
You
Will You
marry me
Be
mine
You &
me
Happy
valentine’s
day
Love
forever

6. 6
An excellent income supplement.
Add beauty to farm & home.
Flowers can attract bees like beneficial insects.
Therapeutic for growers with health problems.

7. 7
1)Temperate Cut Flowers
Carnation Rose
Statice Gypsophyla
Alstroemeria Chrysanthemum
Lilies Irises

8. 8
2) Tropical Cut Flowers
Anthuriums
Ixora
Orchids
Gerberas

9. Cultivation of flowers has existed for ages.
After the British rule - practiced not as an industry but
mainly as a hobby.
With introductions of tropical and sub tropical plants the
trend was passed down to other levels of society.
In Sri Lanka…
9

10. 10
Floriculture was started as an industry in 1970.
Now - a major foreign exchange generating ventures.
Total area under floriculture in Sri Lanka is about
500 hectares.
10 ha - Carnations
10 ha - Anthuriums
3 ha - Roses
3 ha - Orchids
2 ha - Gerberas

11. 11
Western province
North Western province
Central Provinces

12. 12
 Large commercial ventures for export.
 Middle level growers catering to the local market.
 Village level producers who sell products to either of the
two above categories.

13. 13
Main export markets are Europe (72%)
Far East and Middle East (28%)
Sri Lankan Floriculture Exports
Source: Sri Lanka Customs Statistics (2010)
Value of exports (US$)
Product 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Live plants 4,989,546 4,873,013 6,798,738 5,894,094 5,923,955
Cut flowers 5,597,486 6,323,128 6,568,802 5,117,526 4,701,978
Fresh decorative
leaves
661,931 832,232 816,442 435,240 1,116,914
Total 11,248,963 12,028,373 14,183,982 11,446,860 11,742,847

14. 14
Cutting Conditioning
Grading
PackingDelivery

15. 15
 Flowers should never be cut when they are wilted.
 Avoid cutting in the heat of the day.
 Evening - best time
(plants have been making sugars throughout the day).
 Morning - second best time
(plants are full of water).
 Best to harvest just before
a flower is fully open.

16. 16
Include transport of cut flowers
from field to pack-house, pack-house
operations, storage and long distance
transport.

17. 17
Preparation of cut flowers when they arrive
at the design site.
Stems should be re-cut and defoliated that no leaves
will be in the water solution.
Flowers are placed in water that is
approximately 100-110°F.
Once the flowers are full of water, they can be placed in
a cooler that is 34 - 38°F.

18. 18
When fresh flowers are removed from plants, they
continue to photosynthesize.
Thus,,,
Two needs for maintaining the health of cut flowers are;
water & sugar.
The two most common sugars;
sucrose and dextrose.

19. 19

20. 20
Fresh cut flowers should be placed in an environment free
from ethylene gases.
Sanitation or cleanliness improves the vase life of flowers.
Introduction of bacteria and organisms can be avoided by
keeping sanitary.

21. 21
Major causes of flower deterioration
and death are determined by;
genetics,
lack of water,
time of harvest,
ethylene, &
disease or damage.
Wilting is caused by the inability of plant tissues to absorb
enough water to replace water lost by transpiration.

22. 22
Cut flowers can be revived by re-cutting the stems under
water and placing the entire stems in a warm preservative
solution.

23. 23
Floral preservatives will extend the life of cut flowers.
A floral preservative is a complex mixture of;
 Sucrose (sugar)
 Acidifier
 An inhibitor of microorganisms
 A respiratory inhibitor
Use a clean vase and check the
water level daily.

24. 24
.
Lack of sanitation practices.
Physical damage due to
careless handling.
Improper use of containers.
Packaging of a mixture of cut flowers in a single pack.
Lack of proper program to make the producers aware on
cut flower handling.

25. 25
• Aphids
• Grasshoppers
• Beetles
• Nematodes

26. 26
Damping off
Root rotting
Powdery mildew
Bacterial blight
Bacterial blight Powdery mildew

27. 27
 Ministry of Economic Development has launched two
development programs at field level;
“Suwahas Mal” – for middle & small scale growers
“Divi Naguma” _ for large scale growers
 Can produce better varieties through breeding.
 Can provide land, seeds, tools and storage facilities for
growers.

28. 28
Inadequacy and high cost of air cargo.
Lack of trained personnel.
Lack of information.
Lack of facilities for research and development.
Lack of improved systems of marketing.
Big initial investment on farms.

29. 29
• Dhanasekera D.M.U.B., Cut flower production in Sri (2012),FAO
Corporate Document Repository.
• http://www.srilankaexpo.com/index.php/products-a-
services/agriculture-and-fisheries/floriculture
• Sri Lanka council for agriculture research policy
• www.whitelionlimited.com
• Samarasinge,G.P.D.C, Rubasinghe,M.K., Dissanayake,D.M.D.,
Evaluation of suitable varieties of Gerbera for cut flower production
under the mid country climatic conditions.

30. 30
Special thanks to:
Dr. T.G. Dayananda