The effect of pre-harvest foliar feeding with different amounts and sources of calcium on the yield and quality of cut flowers of Ilona rose

The poor shelf life and quality of cut rose flowers (rosa hybrida l.) in the post-harvest period is one of the problems in rose production in most greenhouses in Iran. Calcium is one of the most important nutrients that plays an important role in the shelf life of cut rose flowers. In order to study the effect of pre-harvest foliar feeding with different amounts and sources of calcium on the yield and quality indices of rose cultivar Ilona, ​​a factorial experiment with two calcium concentration factors including 0, 0.3, and 0.6 g/L and fertilizer sources including calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2.4H2O) and calcium chelate (Ca-EDTA) was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications for two years from 2005 at the Safi‏Abad Agricultural Research Center in Dezful. The results showed that although foliar feeding of calcium levels from different sources did not have a significant effect on yield and quality indicators at harvest of roses, such as fresh weight and flowering stem length, and corolla length and diameter, it resulted in a significant increase (p< 0.01) in the shelf life of roses by 2.7 and 2.9 days at levels of 0.3 and 0.6 g/L of calcium, respectively, which was due to an increase in calcium concentration in leaves and petals. The effect of both calcium nitrate and calcium chelate sources on providing the required calcium to roses and increasing postharvest shelf life was the same. Based on the results of this study, to increase the shelf life of roses during the post-harvest period, foliar calcium feeding at a concentration of 0.3 g/L from a source of calcium nitrate or calcium chelate is recommended in northern Khuzestan under greenhouse growing conditions.