Premium
Some responses of Chrysanthemum morifolium (cv.“hurricane”), grown as a year‐round crop in a peat‐sand substrate, to micronutrients and liming
Author(s) -
Adams Peter,
Graves Christopher J.,
Winsor Geoffrey W.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740260608
Subject(s) - micronutrient , horticulture , nutrient , crop , lime , chemistry , shoot , zoology , agronomy , biology , paleontology , organic chemistry
The effects of a fritted micronutrient mixture on the growth and flowering of spray chrysanthemums (cv.“Hurricane”) were studied in relation to pH in a peatsand substrate (3:1 by volume). The treatments consisted of three rates of application of a fritted micronutrient mixture (0, 200, 500 g/m 3 ) in factorial combination with four rates of liming (average pH values 4.2, 5.0, 6.3 and 7.1). Five successive crops were grown under conditions, including controlled day‐length, used commercially for year‐round chrysanthemum production. Bud initiation and development were greatly delayed in the absence of micro‐nutrients, particularly at high pH, and some plants failed to flower. The proportion of marketable sprays was decreased by omission of micronutrients ( P <0.001) and by liming ( P <0.001), and those that were saleable were reduced in size. Omission of micronutrients decreased the numbers of flowers per spray ( P <0.001). Plants grown without added micronutrients developed more leaves and bracts on their lateral shoots ( P <0.001), particularly at high pH (6.3–7.1); the interaction between lime and micronutrients was significant at P <0.01. Leaf samples were analysed for micronutrient content (B, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn). Symptoms of boron deficiency (“quilling” of the petals) were recorded and shown to be significantly correlated with the boron content of the leaves ( P <0.001). The copper content of plants grown without added micronutrients was well below the published critical level, and this deficiency is considered responsible for many of the effects observed.