Journal of Ornamental Plants
Volume:10 Issue: 4, Autumn 2020

Phalaenopsis is an important genus of orchids that is grown for economical production of cut flower and potted plants. The objective of this study is the evaluation of correlation between morphological and physiological traits of self and cross-pollination of 5 varieties of Phalaenopsis orchid. Some morphological traits were measured: Capsule length (CL), capsule volume (CV), weight of seeds in capsule (WSC), full weight of capsule (FWC) and empty weight of capsule (EWC) and physiological traits: Time to first pollination symptom (TPS), time to capsule swelling (TCS) and capsule ripening (CR). The results showed that correlation (canonical r) was 0.91 in first pair canonical variables; second and third pair canonical variables had correlation 0.68 and 0.30, respectively. The first canonical variable in physiological traits revealed 66.1% variation of physiological variables. Special values were 0.820, 1.388 and 4.850 for Wilks' Lambda, Pillai's Trace and Roy's Greatest Root, respectively. Canonical correlation was significant for physiological and morphological characteristics in all statistical tests. The first canonical variables in physiological characteristics had positive correlation with TCS and TPS, so it was resulted that if TCS was fewer, TPS and CR characteristics were fewer.  In pollinated varieties, the lowest TCS belonged to Nottingham× Nottingham and Bucharest × Nottingham; and the most CR belonged to Dubrovnik× Dubrovnik and Memphis× Dubrovnik of pollination states; Therefore, it can be concluded that white and yellow female parent require fewer and more days for capsule swelling respectively.

Due to rapid industrialization and urbanization, environmental pollution has become a significant concern in developing countries; therefore, the main objective of the current study is to determine some of the heavy metal (HM) concentrations in the leaves of dusty miller (Cineraria maritima) and purstane (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium) in different general bus terminal along with the green spaces in the Yazd city. The total concentrations of cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) in the plant samples were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry after digestion with acid. All statistical analysis have been conducted, using SPSS 20.0 statistical package. The results showed that the concentration of some HM in the Ghadir passenger terminal and Quran Gate terminal at ornamental plants was higher than the other bus stand. Interaction effects of location and ornamental plants were significant for Mn, Co, Pb, Zn, and Cu metals (P˂ 0.01). According to factor analysis, four factors had the highest variances (Mn, Co, Pb, and Zn). The Pearson correlation analysis between heavy metals found in the ornamental plants showed a lively and, significant correlation between the percentages of Pb with Co and Zn with Mn (P˂ 0.01), with correlation coefficients of 0.88 and 0.62). According to the results, these plants are one of the most resistant ornamental species. Therefore, in dry and semi-arid areas such as Yazd, it is suitable for beautifying green spaces, parks, and urban boulevards and the creating healthier air.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of physicochemical properties of gerbera (Gerbera Jamesonii L.) to silica nanoparticles (Nanoparticle-SiO2) and calcium chelate (Ca-Chelate) in nutrient solutions. A factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with two factors was conducted in four replicates. The first factor the concentration of Nanoparticle-SiO2 in nutrient solutions with four levels (0, 20, 40, 80 mg L-1), and the second factor was the concentration of Ca-Chelate in the nutrient solution with four levels (0, 60, 120 and 240 mg L-1). Flower diameter, peduncle length, leaf area, fresh and dry weights of root, leaf and flower, stem bending, leaf ionic leakage, chlorophyllindex, maximum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm), percentages of cellulose, hemicellulose, and holocellulose in stem, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity in leaves were measured. According to the results, in comparison to the control, application of 240 mg L-1 Ca-Chelate together with 80 mg L-1 Nanoparticle-SiO2, resulted in 1.5 times less stem bending and decreased leaf ionic leakage by 28%. The highest activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in leaves was observed in the treatment with 60 mg L-1 Ca-Chelate (2.91 unit mg fresh leaves-1). The best treatment in terms of the chlorophyllindex, leaf area, percentages of cellulose and the maximum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm) was the treatment with 120 mg L-1 Ca-Chelate and 80 mg L-1 Nanoparticle-SiO2. Therefore, application of 40 mg L-1 Nanoparticle-SiO2 and 60 mg L-1 Ca-Chelate in the hydroponic nutrition solution can be suggested for gerbera plants.

The present study was conducted to ascertain the ability of Dracaena sanderiana ‘Victory’, a foliage plant species of commercial importance in both domestic and international markets, to thrive under contrasting light environments. The experiment was carried out inside a semi-open greenhouse in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Same-sized and same-aged, ready-to-ship export quality plugs of Dracaena sanderiana ‘Victory’ were grown in plastic pots filled with the standard medium for foliage plants recommended by the Department of Agriculture. The plants were exposed to four different light treatments: Full sunlight, 15% shade under a green net, and 50% and 80% shade under a black net. Morphological and growth-related parameters were measured, and an aesthetic evaluation was done to verify the overall conformity of plants until 100 days after planting with every 20-day intervals. ‘Victory’ showed variable responses to different light conditions where leaf-related parameters were significantly altered, while the relative growth rate was kept uniform across light environments. Weight ratios that reflect the dry matter partitioning were unchanged. Most of the responses under the black net (50% shade) were comparable to those under the green net (15% shade), where the R: FR ratio was reduced. It was found that the plants could easily be acclimatized to the light conditions used in the present study. Interestingly, this cultivar scored more than 80% in the aesthetic evaluation for any given light condition, which indicates the potential of using this cultivar in heterogeneous light environments while keeping the aesthetic appearance unaltered.

Eight African marigold varieties including ‘Nari’ (orange), ‘Bindi’ (orange), ‘Bali’ (orange), ‘Little Duck’ (orange), ‘Bali’ (yellow), ‘Bali’ (gold), ‘Little Duck’ (yellow), and ‘Eagle’ (yellow) were comparatively studied for growth habit and flowering quality in open field conditions at the Training Centre for Floriculture and Landscaping, Directorate of Floriculture, Lahore during 2018-2019. Among the varietal study, highly significant variations were recorded for growth habit and flowering parameters. Maximum seed germination percentage (94.5 %) was observed in ‘Bindi’ (orange) followed by ‘Little Duck’ (yellow) with 82.75% germination. ‘Bali’ (orange) took minimum days to 1st bud initiation (21.75 days), which was not significantly different from that of ‘Bindi’ (24 days). Results showed that growth parameters like plant height (11.675 cm), number of buds (22.825), number of branches (34.6), flower diameter (7.9 cm), root length (14.9 cm), and number of roots (30.575) were maximum in ‘Bindi’ whereas ‘Nari’ (orange) showed maximum number of flowers (6.65). Hence, it can be concluded that variety ‘Bindi’ was superior to the other varieties in terms of growth behavior and flower quality in Lahore conditions.

Lilium is scientifically named Lilium longiflorum is a cut bulbous flower. In the process of producing lilium flowers, the quality of the flowers has a special importance and one of the most important factors is proper nutrition. Balanced and optimal nutrition is easily possible in hydroponic systems. In contrast, improper management of the nutrient solution significantly reduces plant growth and impairs the quantitative and qualitative production of the product. Nutrients often interact and the diagnosis of deficiency or toxicity of the nutrients is made by experimental studies under controlled conditions. In order to study the effect of different concentrations of potassium on lily growth and postharvest life, a hydroponic experiment based on a randomized complete design with different concentrations of potassium at three levels of 0, 3 and 6 mM in three replicates in planting bed of 40% perlite + 60% sand was performed. The results showed that most of the plant growth indices, especially shoot dry weight, decreased with potassium consumption in nutrient solution, but at a concentration of 6 mM potassium in nutrient solution, postharvest life increased significantly compared to the control.