2. Botanical name : Nelumbo sp.
Family : Nelumbonaceae
Chromosome no.: 2n = 16
Common name : Thamarai, Padma, Kamal,
Pankaj, Sacred water lily, Ambal, Nelufer, Nilufa,
Suriyakamal, Thambal
3. INTRODUCTION
Lotus is a beautiful aquatic perennial flowering plant
with bluish green leaves
It has a quality to grow in various environments
ranging from clean water to muddy ponds and
ditches
It is a sacred flower for the Hindus and Buddhists
Lotus is a national flower of India and Vietnam
It is a day- bloomer and close by mid- afternoon for
three successive days, with first flower closing early
Flower closes in the evening and falls to the water,
the reopen again in the morning with rise of the sun
4. COMPOSITION
Roots are found to be rich in dietary fibre,
protein, vitamin C, potassium, thiamin,
riboflavin, vitamin B₆, phosphorous,
manganese and copper, while very low in
saturated fat.
Lotus contains alkaloids like nuciferine,
nornuciferine, nelumbine and roemerine
5. USES
All parts of lotus, its flower, seed (Phool
Makhana), leaf and roots are edible and used
for medicinal purpose
Leaves are used as a flavoring agent and used to
wrap food materials for steaming
The dried seeds are popped like popcorn, while
roasted seeds are used as a substitute to coffee
Petals are used for garnish, while stamens are
used to flavor tea
Tubers of lotus taste like sweet potato
Perfume extracted from the flower of lotus
6. DESCRIPTION
Flowers borne solitary on a long, stiff stalk; Sepals may be
4- 5 and green
Anthers yellow in color, numerous with style; Stigma is
terminal, contain a number of carpels (15- 30) embedded in
a swollen thalamus
Seeds are nut like achenes, hard and dark brown in colour
Leaves are almost circular with a long petiole; with
prominent veins on lower surface, leathery, water resistant
and floats on the water surface
Rhizomes are long, spongy, mucilaginous
Color of the flowers maybe red, pink, white
7. TYPES
Single type : less than 25 petals
Semi- double: 25 to 40 petals
Double type : more than 40 petals
8. SPECIES
Nelumbo nucifera (Syn. Nelumbo speciosum,
N. indica)
Commonly known as Indian/ sacred lotus or
Oriental lotus is a native of South Asia is also
widely distributed in Japan, Phillipines and China
The leaves are usually larger, glaucons, entire,
often wavy at the margin
There are many flower colours
9. SPECIES
Nelumbo lutea (Syn. N. pentapetalum)
It is a native of North America
The leaves rise 60 cm to 2 m above water, cupped
in the center at the insertion of stalk
The flowers are fragrant, yellow with obovate
obtuse concave petals
10. VARIETIES
Alba strata
White flowers with uneven red margin
Alba
White, the Mangolian lotus
Spring Bird
Mamo Botan
Dark rose pink yellow towards the base
12. VARIETIES
Kermesina
Fully double rose- pink red flowers
Perry superstar
Pink colour changes to yellow
Yellow Bird
Yellow
Pekinensis Rubea
Amaranth red
13. HYBRIDS
Big Ben
Pink
Alexander the great
Large flower welt dark pink to red
Embolene
Bicolour flower of pink to white
14. CLIMATE & SOIL
Region : tropical and sub- tropical areas
Altitude : 1600 to 1800 m MSL
Sunshine : at least 6 hours per day
Temperature: 20oC to 30oC with partial shade
Water temp. : 20oC to 25oC not below 18oC;
16- 18oC favours germination
Soil : loam or clay soil
15. PROPAGATION
By seeds
Seeds have hard seed coat with waxy coating any high phenol content
To break dormancy, the seeds must be scarified
and then sown in pans of sandy soil which is filled
with little water
The seedlings are ready for transplanting once two
leaves emerged along with rootlets
Seed rate of 10- 12 kg/ ha used
Viability of lotus seeds is more than 200 years under suitable
conditions
16. PROPAGATION
By divisions of rhizome
Rhizome pieces having at least three nodes with new sprouts
Planted during months of February- March,
horizontally 8- 10 cm deep in the soil and it
is pressed firmly
The sprouted side should be up
It will flower during onset of summer
About 36000- 42000 kg rhizomes are required for one ha
17. PLANTING
In a garden artificial ponds, tanks of different shapes and
sizes can be prepared
Containers made up of fibre glass, polythene and
concrete can also be made for lotus cultivation
Container should be about 15 cm thick and water proof
The soil mixture is spread in the aquatic body about 30-
45 cm thick layer
The depth of water above the soil may vary from 30 cm to
several meters
18. MANURES AND FERTILIZERS
For growing in tanks, tubs, ponds, soil
mixture is prepared by mixing one part loam soil,
one part well decomposed FYM or compost, one
part clay soil, 100 g neem cake and di ammonium
phosphate for 1 m² area
19. MANAGEMENT OF POOL
Adequate arrangement for drainage and filling the
pool with water should be made
Plants should be lifted up once in every 2- 3 years and
replanted elsewhere
Some gold fishes should be kept in the pool, which
will control the mosquito larvae, add charm and
beautify the water garden
When flowering is over water should be drained out
completely so that the bottom of the pool dry up
completely
So, the undesirable micro- organisms will be killed
20.
21. CULTURAL OPERATIONS
Some aquatic weeds like water hyacinth (Eicchornea
crassipes) and typha grass (Typha angustifolia) spread
rapidly, which cover the pond quickly
These weeds should be removed manually
Dry leaves and faded flowers should be removed
22. PLANT PROTECTION MEASURES
Diseases:
Leaf spot
Causative organism: Alternaria nelumbii and
Cercospora nelumbonis
Symptom : small reddish brown spot on
leaf, which gradually increase in size
Control : spray of Captan or Blitox @2g/ l
of water at 10 days interval
23. PLANT PROTECTION MEASURES
Insect pests:
Beetle (Poppillia japonica)
It causes damage to the leaves and flowers
Controlled by spraying Demecron @ 2 ml/ l
of water at 10 days intervals
Aphids (Rhopalsiphum nymphaeae)
It causes much damage to the leaves and
flowers by sucking the sap and the leaves
disfigure and flowers are discolored
Controlled by spraying Rogor or Malathion
@ 2 ml/ l of water at 10 days intervals
24. HARVESTING & YIELD
Fully matured flower buds are harvested 2- 3
days before opening so that they can be
transported long distance
Such flowers having long vase life
Rhizomes are harvested during October
in autumn, when the leaves dry up due
to low temperature
Seeds are harvested when seed heads
turn brown
2- 5 flowers can be obtained per plant
Yield of rhizomes is 4- 4.5 t/ ha in India, 4.5-
8.2 t/ ha in Malaysia and 3.5 t/ ha in Japan
