Abstract
Cut flower vase life can be extended by various natural products, but their efficacy when mixed with compost tea is not reported. A study was performed to determine cut carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus cv. White Sim) vase life in 1 L of formulations (1) C3.5: 3.5% compost tea + 15 mg putrescine; (2) R5L10: C3.5 + 5 mL rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) + 10 mL lemon (Citrus limon) extracts; (3) R10L10: C3.5 + 10 mL rosemary + 10 mL lemon extracts; (4) R5L20: C3.5 + 5 mL rosemary + 20 mL lemon extracts; (5) R10L20: C3.5 + 10 mL rosemary + 20 mL lemon extracts; (6) Chrysal: Floral Chrysal Clear (positive control); and (7) Dw: distilled water alone (negative control). The 15 mg putrescine significantly (P=0.002) reduced compost tea turbidity by 34%. The neutral pH of C3.5 and Dw did not change. However, pH increased by 24% in Chrysal and reduced by 39% in R5L10, R10L10 and R5L20 and by 54% in R10L20 on day 11. TDS and EC were highest in Chrysal from days 1 to 11. Petal discoloration, wilt, shrinkage and neck bend were delayed by C3.5 followed by Chrysal and then R5L10, but were accelerated by the other treatments. In conclusion, the cut carnation cv. White Sim longevity as influenced by variations in the vase solutions was Chrysal (14 days) > C3.5 (12.6 days) > R5L10 (10.7 days) but ≤ 9 days in the other treatments. These results were confirmed by a 2-D principal component analysis biplot. Future study will investigate microbial interaction.
Highlights
Compost is obtained from the decomposition of organic matter with a remarkably high content of microbial communities, humic and non-humic chemical substances including macro- and micro-nutrients that provide nourishment and protection to plants (Abbey, Annan, Asiedu, Oluwaseun & Iheshiulo, 2018; Steel et al, 2018)
We decided to add 15 mg putrescine/L to the 3.5% compost tea to reduce turbidity. This was done because particulate matter in the compost increased turbidity of the vase solution, which can cause embolism that will block off water and nutrient flow in the xylem vessels of the cut carnation
Synthetic chemical preservatives contain sugars, acidifiers, water uptake enhancers and biocides that extend vase lives of different species of cut flowers
Summary
Compost is obtained from the decomposition of organic matter with a remarkably high content of microbial communities, humic and non-humic chemical substances including macro- and micro-nutrients that provide nourishment and protection to plants (Abbey, Annan, Asiedu, Oluwaseun & Iheshiulo, 2018; Steel et al, 2018). These attributes of compost may have the potential to extend cut flower freshness and lifespan but not reported. Such natural compost tea formulation is low-cost, clean technology, environmentally sound and sustainable
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