Articles
CHARACTERIZING HOURLY, DAILY AND SEASONAL ION AND WATER UPTAKE IN HYDROPONICALLY-GROWN ROSES
Article number
947_44
Pages
347 – 354
Language
English
Abstract
Rose (Rosa spp.
L.) production for cut flowers is the most intensive floriculture cropping system, with astounding water and nutrient inputs.
The overall objective of this project was to characterize the hourly, daily and seasonal water and nutrient uptake patterns in hydroponically-grown roses.
Whereas water uptake followed leaf area development over the length of a flowering flush, a cyclical nutrient uptake pattern was also confirmed, but this exhibited minimum ion uptake rates when the flower shoots were developing at their fastest rate, and maximum uptake near the time when the shoots reached commercial (harvest) maturity.
Hourly fluctuations in the water and nutrient uptake were also observed, with transpiration peaking at noontime hours, but peak ion uptake being displaced towards later hours in the afternoon.
Water and ion uptake patterns were not differentially affected by cultivar, rootstock selection or mild salinity stress.
The results suggest that water and nutrient use efficiency could be significantly enhanced by taking advantage of fertigation systems that allow programming of uncoupled and precise water and fertilizer applications within a day and over seasonal growth and flowering flushes.
L.) production for cut flowers is the most intensive floriculture cropping system, with astounding water and nutrient inputs.
The overall objective of this project was to characterize the hourly, daily and seasonal water and nutrient uptake patterns in hydroponically-grown roses.
Whereas water uptake followed leaf area development over the length of a flowering flush, a cyclical nutrient uptake pattern was also confirmed, but this exhibited minimum ion uptake rates when the flower shoots were developing at their fastest rate, and maximum uptake near the time when the shoots reached commercial (harvest) maturity.
Hourly fluctuations in the water and nutrient uptake were also observed, with transpiration peaking at noontime hours, but peak ion uptake being displaced towards later hours in the afternoon.
Water and ion uptake patterns were not differentially affected by cultivar, rootstock selection or mild salinity stress.
The results suggest that water and nutrient use efficiency could be significantly enhanced by taking advantage of fertigation systems that allow programming of uncoupled and precise water and fertilizer applications within a day and over seasonal growth and flowering flushes.
Authors
A.R. Solís-Pérez, R.I. Cabrera
Keywords
nutrient solution, cyclic uptake, cut flowers, rootstocks, nutrient use efficiency
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