Sustainable Floriculture Practices and Their Socio-Economic Impacts: A Study of Biofertilizer Use in Zinnia elegans Production

Abstract

The floriculture sector in the world is facing growing pressure to embrace sustainable production systems that minimize reliance on chemicals without affecting or aggravating the quality of crop and quantity. The present research is a socio-economic and agronomic inquiry into the use of biological (Trichoderma harzianum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae or baker's yeast) as a substitute of synthetic fertilizers in the cultivation of Zinnia elegans, an ornamental flower of commercial importance. The experiment was conducted at the University of Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhaw, Pakistan in the summer of 2022 using the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) and seven treatment combinations in the form of varying concentrations of T. harzianum (0-10 cm3/L) and S. cerevisiae (0-10 g/L). The findings showed that when 10 cm3/L T. harzianum was used together with 10 g/L S. cerevisiae (T6), the most significant changes in all the parameters analyzed were observed. In Dreamland Yellow, the height of the plants rose to 94.42 cm as opposed to 76.15 cm and in Purple Prince, the height rose to 100.30 cm as compared to 85.87 cm. The number of flowers grown grew by about 124 percent, the macronutrient content (N, P, K) and chlorophyll readings went up significantly. In addition to agronomic results, the paper also puts these results in context with the larger theory of sustainable agriculture, rural livelihood improvement, and the theory of the green economy. The adoption of biofertilizer-enhanced floriculture in Pakistan and similar developing economies provide real opportunities to lower the costs of production, enhance farmer earnings, reduce environmental pollution, and address the global sustainability objectives. Policies such as plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) to be incorporated in the national agricultural extension programmes and subsidies on the production of floriculture by smallholder farmers are recommended.