The Effect of Calcium Nanochelate on Morphological, Physiological, Biochemical Characteristics and Vase Life of Three Cultivars of Gerbera under Hydroponic System

Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii L.) is one of the most important cut flowers in the world, and its production is increasing. One of the major problems in cultivating gerbera is its bent neck and short vase life. With the ever-increasing development of flowering industry and the necessity of improving the quantity and quality of flowers, it is necessary to use the beneficial elements in the production of flowers. Calcium is one of the most important nutrient elements that plays a major role in plants. It has a crucial task in the stability of cell wall and cell membrane as well as the development of cells. The balance between cations and anions, the activation of certain enzymes and the regulation of osmotic pressure are among other functions of this element. Calcium, also, plays a role in root development and prevents injuries caused by mechanical and thermal damages such as wind. Nanochelate technology has been able to significantly solve chelate problems. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of various concentrations of calcium nanochelate on quantitative and qualitative characteristics and vase life of Gerbera.

In this study, three concentrations of calcium nano-chelate (0, 2 and 3 g/l) on three cultivars of gerbera cut flower (Intense, Amlet and Cabana) were examined. Factorial experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications. In this experiment, morphological, physiological, biochemical parameters and postharvest life of these cultivars were evaluated. The related characteristics of the flower included the dry weight of the scape, the number of inflorescences per plant, the height of the flowering stem, the diameter of the scape and the diameter of the inflorescence. The percentage of electrolyte leakage or membrane stability index, chlorophyll and carotenoids content, calcium content of the plant, vase life and water absorption were investigated.

The results showed that morphological traits improved with increasing the concentration of calcium nano-chelate. Also, chlorophyll and stomatal conduction increased, but ion leakage decreased. Increasing the concentration of calcium nano-chelate increased the vase-life and water absorption in gerbera flower. The highest number of inflorescence, scape diameter, scape dry weight, inflorescence dry weight and vase life were obtained with 3 g / L of calcium nano-chelate.  

In this research, we found that gerbera treatment by calcium nano-chelate was significantly effective. Among the treatments, the concentration of 3 g/l was recognized as the best treatment by increasing the vase life and improving the growth, physiological and biochemical characteristics of gerbera cut flower.