RESPONSE OF SNAPDRAGON PLANTS Anterhinum majus TO PINCHING, SPRAYING WITH CALCIUM AND BORON

Abstract

This experiment was conducted in the field of Horticulture and Landscape Design Department, College of Agriculture and Forestry/ Mosul University, at the period from February to July / 2011 on Snapdragon plant Antirrhinum magus cv. Potomac cool. To study the effect of pinching the main stem, spraying with Calcium chloride at concentration 0 and 30 mg/L, and boron at concentration 0, 30 and 60 mg/L of boric acid by using factorial experiment within split plot in randomized complete block design with three replicates by 5 plants for each replicate. Results showed that pinching caused a significant increase of shoots, leave and inflorescence number and the number of florets in inflorescence, in addition to dry weight of plant. While spraying plant with calcium chloride at 300 mg/L caused a significant increase in shoots, leave and inflorescence number in addition to dry weight and calcium percentage. Spraying plants with boron at 30 and 60 mg/L gave a significantly best result of leave number, inflorescence length and plants dry weight. On the other hand, best results obtained from the plants pinched, sprayed with 300 mg/L.of calcium and 60 mg/L boron for plant height 43.50 cm shoot number 14.00 flowering shoots 13.33 and floret number in inflorescence 136.00 floret.