Responses of Antirrhinum majus (L.) for cut f lowers to the osmotic potential of a nutrient solution in two growing seasons

Abstract

Due to the limited information for hydroponic production of snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) more research is required for the proper management of this species. In this study, a summer material (group IV) Potomac series cv. Rose was used to determine the effects of the osmotic potential (OP) in the nutrient solution (-0.036, -0.054, -0.072, -0.090 and -0.108 MPa) on biomass and commercial quality in winter and summer crops. In general, most of the evaluated variables such as biomass, vase life, days to harvest, and leaf area were affected by the PO and the growing season. The total biomass was higher in winter compared to summer (20 and 12 g/plant respectively), solutions with -0.072 and -0.090 MPa, in winter, and -0.036 MPa in the summer, which allowed higher accumulation of biomass. The days to harvest increased from 25-40 days in the winter than in the summer, while increasing vase life 5 days. The quality of the Society of American Florists (SAF) was lower in the winter because the stem did not reach the required standard, being classified as sophisticated. In the summer all got better quality treatments (special). In general, the plants grown in the summer showed a tendency to decrease the biomass as the PO solution got negative; suggesting that at this station requires less concentrated nutrient solutions. In the winter, biomass tended to increase slightly to raise the PO of -0036 to -0072 and -0090 MPa, suggesting that in this season the solutions for the optimal growth of the plants should be more concentrated.