Articles
Controlled-release fertilizer type and granulated soil activator combination modulate growth and ornamental quality of two bedding plants
Article number
1271_51
Pages
371 – 378
Language
English
Abstract
The goal of sustainable production is to reduce environmental degradation, to maintain agricultural productivity, to promote economic viability, as well as to reduce energy losses.
Bedding plant sector is an important part of the nursery industry.
Improving cultivation practices that increase the performance of potted ornamentals may become a promising and effectively sustainable strategy to be adopted in ornamental nursery.
Among the important group of plant biostimulants soil activator complexes obtained by combination of macroalgae, zeolites, humic acids and soil bacteria improves the chemical-physical and microbiological properties of the substrate.
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a granular soil activator (Agrosil® Turf Algin) alone or in combination with two commercial controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) on growth, ornamental quality, leaf gas exchanges as well as mineral composition of two bedding plants: Begonia semperflorens and Salvia splendens. The plant growth parameters and the ornamental quality recorded in Agrosil-treated bedding plants were species-dependent, and were also affected by CRF type.
Our results also demonstrated that the activator application enhanced several growth performance and quality parameters of the two selected bedding plants: plant height, canopy volume, leaf area and colorimetry, number of flowers in both species.
The increased crop performance recorded in both species in the treatment B+A could be attributed to an increase in photosynthetic activity as well as to a better nutritional status (higher N, P, and K).
Bedding plant sector is an important part of the nursery industry.
Improving cultivation practices that increase the performance of potted ornamentals may become a promising and effectively sustainable strategy to be adopted in ornamental nursery.
Among the important group of plant biostimulants soil activator complexes obtained by combination of macroalgae, zeolites, humic acids and soil bacteria improves the chemical-physical and microbiological properties of the substrate.
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a granular soil activator (Agrosil® Turf Algin) alone or in combination with two commercial controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) on growth, ornamental quality, leaf gas exchanges as well as mineral composition of two bedding plants: Begonia semperflorens and Salvia splendens. The plant growth parameters and the ornamental quality recorded in Agrosil-treated bedding plants were species-dependent, and were also affected by CRF type.
Our results also demonstrated that the activator application enhanced several growth performance and quality parameters of the two selected bedding plants: plant height, canopy volume, leaf area and colorimetry, number of flowers in both species.
The increased crop performance recorded in both species in the treatment B+A could be attributed to an increase in photosynthetic activity as well as to a better nutritional status (higher N, P, and K).
Authors
C. Cirillo, Y. Rouphael, C. El Nakhel, A. Pannico, S. De Pascale
Keywords
Begonia semperflorens, biostimulant, Ascophyllum nodosum, Salvia splendens
Groups involved
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Working Group Nettings in Horticulture (subgroup of Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates)
- Working Group Light in Horticulture
- Working Group Organic Greenhouse Horticulture
- Working Group Modelling Plant Growth, Environmental Control, Greenhouse Environment
- Working Group Protected Cultivation, Nettings and Screens for Mild Climates
- Working Group Vegetable Grafting
- Working Group Computational Fluid Dynamics in Agriculture
- Working Group Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production Systems
- Working Group Mechanization, Digitization, Sensing and Robotics
- Working Group Greenhouse Environment and Climate Control
- Commission Agroecology and Organic Farming Systems
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