Abstract
The study focused on field management skills required by florists for effective floricultural production for job security in Ebonyi State. The study was carried out in Ebonyi State, Nigeria using a descriptive survey research design. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The population for the study was 187 respondents, comprising 134 registered florists and 53 agricultural extension workers in Ebonyi State. There was no sampling because of the population size. Structured questionnaire containing 30 items was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts. Cronbach Alpha Statistics was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument and a coefficient of .79 was obtained. Out of 187 copies of the questionnaire distributed, 180 copies were properly filled and returned given a return rate of 96.3%. It was this properly filled and returned copies that was used for analysis. The resulting data were analyzed using weighted mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and t-test was used to test the null hypothesis at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed among others that all the items under manuring skills, pruning and weed control skills are required by the florists for effective floricultural production for job security in Ebonyi State. The study therefore concluded that the identified skills be adopted by the florists to enable them establish and manage floricultural farms effectively. Based on the findings, the following recommendation among others were made: floriculturists should adopt the identified skills for increased production of ornamental plants and skill acquisition centers should adopt the identified skills in training and retraining of farmers and youths who are interested in management of floriculture farms.