Response of gladiolus sp. cvs. white and rose prosperity plants to some fertilization treatments.

Includes references.

Two independent field experiments were carried out at the nursery of Hort. Res. Inst., ARC, Giza, Egypt during 2008 and 2009 seasons to study the effect of biogien (a commercial product which contains a specific strain of Azotobacter chroococcum bacteria, at conc. of 106 cells/ml) as a soil dressing at the rates of 0, 5, 10 and 15 g/plant, soaking the corms before planting in actosol solution (a humic acid NPK (10:10:10) liquid organic fertilizer) at the rate of 20 ml/L for 0, 12 and 24 hours and their interactions on growth, flowering and corms productivity of Gladiolus sp. cvs. White Prosperity (white florets) and Rose Prosperity (rose florets) plants. The corms were planted in beds of 1x1 m at a depth of 7 cm from soil surface and a distance of 20x20 cm from each other. Biogien was added 3 times before flowering with one month interval and one time only immediately after flowering. The obtained results indicated that all vegetative growth parameters; expressed as: plant height (cm), number of leaves/plant and aerial parts fresh and dry weights (g), as well as flowering traits; expressed as : flowering stalk length and diameter (cm) and its fresh and dry weights (g), rachis length (cm), number of florets/flowering stalk and first floret diameter (cm) of both cultivars were progressively increased with either increasing biogien rate or elongating soaking period of humic acid solution with various significant differences in the two seasons. The opposite was the right concerning number of days from planting to first floret open character, as all fertilization treatments used in the study caused a significant precocity in most cases of both seasons. The superiority in all previous parameters was for the combined treatment between 15 g biogien/plant and soaking corms in humic acid solution for 24 hrs., as it gave the highest means in the two seasons. Similarly, new corm diameter (cm) and its fresh and dry weights (g), as well as number of cormels/plant in both cultivars were increased with either rising biogien level or prolonging soaking period, with the mastery of combined treatment mentioned above which gave the greatest No. and heaviest new corms and highest cormels No./plant. So, it could be recommended to fertilize Gladiolus sp. cvs. White and Rose Prosperity plants cultivated in a clayey soil with biogien biofertilizer at 15 g/plant, three times before flowering at one month interval and only one time immediately after flowering with soaking the corms before planting in 20ml/l humic acid solution for 24 hrs. to get the best growth, flowering and corms productivity.

Summary in Arabic.

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