Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium. Vis.)
Asteraceae

Varieties
‘Hansa’ is the released variety from CIMAP, Kodaikanal

Soil and climate
Well drained light and medium loamy soils are suitable.  It grows best in areas, which have mild cool climate and a short winter and cool summer with an annual rainfall of 100 cm or more.  A period of chilling in which the temperature falls below 17°C for six weeks is necessary for flower bud initiation.

Season
April - May and October – November are the optimum months for cultivation.

Seeds and planting
Propagated by seeds with a seed rate of 2 - 3 kg/ha. Seedlings are raised in nursery beds and transplanted after 6 - 8 weeks at a spacing of 45 x 30 cm.

Manuring
Apply N, P and K at 20, 50 and 50 kg/ha as basal dose. 20 kg of N is applied in 2 split doses as top dressing.

Harvest
Flowers are picked at fortnightly intervals from third month of planting and dried immediately under sun or in electric oven having not more than 50°C

Yield
An average of about 500 kg of dried flowers can be obtained from a hectare.

Source
1. http://hanakoyomi.img.jugem.jp/20060604_193295.jpg