Effets de quelques pratiques horticoles de conduite des plantes sur la production de roses coupées

Abstract

Four different plant management treatments, corresponding with different existing growing practices, were compared for flower production of Rosa hybrida L. cv. Meiqualis plants grown for 1 year in a greenhouse in the south of France. Two of them used shoot bending during plant formation and subsequent production management. The harvest level practiced on the thickest stems differentiated these two treatments. Two other treatments consisted in using shoot removal and pruning during plant formation. In the first one, during production management, unmarketable shoots were removed by pinching, whereas they were bent and left on the plant in the second one. This last treatment resulted in the highest yield of marketable stems and stem quality after 1 year, although the treatment using shoot bending during plant formation and production associated with a high harvest level on the thickest stems produced the largest quantity during autumn and winter. The results are discussed with reference to different yield components determined by the different plant management treatments applied, such as inter-flush cycle time, bud sprouting, occurrence of certain types of unmarketable stems (blind shoots and bowed peduncled stems), and development of new bottom breaks.Key words: shoot bending, bottom breaks, blind shoots, bowed stems, production, Rosa hybrida L.