EFFECT SPRAYING EXTRACT OF ORGANIC FERTILIZER AND ASCORBIC ACID ON GROWTH AND FLOWERING PARAMETERS OF Fressia hybrida PLANTS AND ITS CONTENT OF CAROTENE PIGMENTS

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the house covered with saran in the nursery of the Faculty of Agriculture University of Kufa during the growing seasons of 2016-2017 to study effect of spraying extract of organic fertilizer and ascorbic acid on growth and flowering parameters of freesia plants and its flower content of carotene pigment. Experiment was adopted a Randomized Complete Block Design (R.C.B.D) with three replicates in two factors. First three concentration of extract organic fertilizer i e.(0, 5 and 10ml.L-1). Second three concentration of ascorbic acid i.e.(0, 40 and 80)mg.L-1. Means were compared by using the Least Significant Difference(L.S.D.)testat probability of 0.5 Results showed that spraying extract of organic fertilizer at a concentration 10m.L-1 and ascorbic acid at a concentration 40mg.L-1significantly increased the number of leaves to 7.67leaf.plant-1, shoot dry weight to 96.2g, total chlorophyll content in leaf to 62.13mg.100g-1fresh weight, total soluble carbohydrate in leaf to 8.00mg.g-1dry weight, decrease the day for flowering to 144days, number of inflorescence to 6.33 inflorescence.plant-1, number of florets per inflorescence to 11.67, floret diameter to 7.73cm and flower content of total, Beta and Alpha carotene to 11.91, 7.85 and 9.63mg.g-1dry weight, compared to the control treatment which gave the lowest vales (4.00 leaves.plant-1, 1.30 g, 54.96 mg.100g-1 fresh weight, 5.06mg.g-1 dry weight, 3.67 inflorescence. plant-1, 5.67 floret. inflorescence-1, 9.30cm and 9.20, 4.94 and 6.99mg.g-1dry weight) respectively and increased the days to flowering to 162.67days.