Evaluation of Canna lily genotypes for growth, floral and rhizome characteristics

Introduction

Canna, commonly known as Indian shot or canna lily, is an important ornamental plant valued for its attractive foliage and diverse flower colours. The genus Canna belongs to the monogeneric family Cannaceae under the order Zingiberales. Cytologically, Canna exhibits diploid (2𝑛 = 18), triploid (2𝑛 = 27), and tetraploid (2𝑛 = 36) forms. The name Canna is derived from the Greek word kanna, meaning "reed," referring to its reed-like herbaceous stem (Singh et al., 2014) [1] . Canna is native to the Neotropical region, with its natural distribution extending from the southern United States to northern Argentina, including the West Indies and tropical South America (Sultana et al., 2019; Le et al., 2024) [3,2] . The genus exhibits considerable ecological adaptability and occurs across diverse habitats, from wetlands and forest margins to roadsides and cultivated areas. The genus comprises approximately 10 wild species and more than 1,000 cultivated hybrids (Patra et al., 2008) [4] . Kamer and Maas (2008) [5] recognized 10 wild species, including (Mukherjee et al., 1970; Hannay, 1936) [7,6] . Canna has diverse economic uses. Its starch-rich rhizomes have traditionally been utilized as food and livestock feed, while the seeds have been used for beads, rosaries, and musical instruments. The plant has also been utilized in noodle production, paper manufacture, fodder, confectionery products, and traditional medicine (Gupta et al., 2013; Sari et al., 2016; Kankanamalage et al., 2014; Sultana et al., 2019) [8, 9, 10, 3] . The development and maintenance of superior ornamental cultivars depend on the availability and effective utilization of genetic variability. Characterization and evaluation of diverse Canna genotypes are therefore essential for identifying desirable traits and selecting promising genetic resources for breeding and cultivar development. Assessment of morphological variation can provide useful information on the extent of diversity among genotypes and facilitate the identification of superior types for specific ornamental and horticultural purposes.

Materials and methods

The present experiment was conducted during 2024-25 and 2025-26 at the Horticulture Research cum Instructional Farm, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. A total of 22 Canna genotypes collected from different sources in Chhattisgarh were used for morphological characterization. The genotypes were maintained under field conditions for evaluation of their morphological variation. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. The genotypes were planted at a spacing of 45 × 45 cm with uniform agronomic practices were followed throughout the experimental period to maintain comparable field conditions among the genotypes. Ten plants from each genotype were tagged for recording observations.

Result and discussion

The evaluated Canna genotypes exhibited significant variation for all the morphological and rhizome-related traits studied (Table 1).

Plant height

Plant height ranged from 42.21 to 150.53 cm, with IGC 2 (150.53 cm) recording the maximum value, followed by IGC 5 (142.30 cm) and Madame Butterfly (134.65 cm), whereas Cannova Yellow (42.21 cm) recorded the minimum plant height. The considerable variation in plant height indicates substantial genetic diversity among the genotypes and may be associated with differences in vegetative vigour and genetic constitution. Similar variation in this trait was also observed by singh et al.

Stem diameter

Stem diameter also differed significantly among the genotypes, ranging from 1.13 to 3.46 cm. The maximum stem diameter was recorded in IGC 2 (3.46 cm), followed by IGC 8 (3.26 cm) and Madame Butterfly (3.30 cm), while IGC 14 (1.13 cm) recorded the minimum value. The observed variation in stem thickness may reflect differences in genotype-dependent stem development and overall plant vigour. Similar results were observed by sloan and harkness (2005) in lilium

Inflorescence length

Inflorescence length showed a wide range of variation, from 12.37 to 54.12 cm. IGC 2 (54.12 cm) produced the longest inflorescence and was followed by Madame Butterfly (52.21 cm) and IGC 9 (46.00 cm), whereas IGC 14 (12.37 cm) exhibited the shortest inflorescence. The differences among genotypes may be attributed to genetic variation affecting inflorescence development and elongation. Variation in inflorescence length has also been documented by singh et al. (2014) in canna and Mukesh et al. (2007) [11] in gladiolus. [12] in gladiolus

Number of flowers

Rhizome fresh weight

Rhizome internode length

Rhizome internode length showed substantial variability, with values ranging from 0.61 to 3.61 cm. Madame Butterfly (3.61 cm) recorded the maximum rhizome internode length, followed by IGC 7 (2.26 cm) and IGC 2 (1.09 cm), whereas IGC 9 (0.61 cm) recorded the minimum value. The differences may be associated with genotype-specific patterns of rhizome elongation and internodal development.

Number of nodes per rhizome

The number of nodes per rhizome ranged from

Number of eyes per rhizome

The number of eyes per rhizome also differed significantly among the genotypes, ranging from 1.00 to 3.62. The highest number of eyes was recorded in Cannova Yellow and IGC 9 (3.62 each), followed by IGC 6 (3.58), whereas IGC 8 (1.00) recorded the minimum value. The observed differences may reflect genotypic variation in rhizome bud initiation. Genotypic variation in the number of eyes per rhizome may be attributed to differences in node production and rhizome architecture. Similar response was reported by singh et al. (2014) in canna.

Conclusion

From the present research study, it can be concluded that the growth, flowering and rhizome characteristics of Canna genotypes were significantly influenced by their genetic makeup. Considerable variation was observed among the evaluated genotypes for vegetative, floral and rhizome traits, indicating the presence of substantial genetic diversity. Such variability can be effectively utilized for the identification and selection of superior Canna genotypes for ornamental purposes and future breeding programmes.

References

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16. How to cite this article: Basumatary P, Tamrakar SK. Evaluation of Canna lily genotypes for growth, floral and rhizome characteristics. International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research. 2026;SP-10(10):54-57. doi: https://www. doi.org/10.33545/26174693.2026.v10.i10Sa.10257 International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research https://www.biochemjournal.com 26174707, 2026, 10(10), Downloaded from https://www.doi.org/10.33545/26174693.2026.v10.i10Sa.10257 by International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research on [02/10/2026]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://www.biochemjournal.com) for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License