Growing vegetables
Karim Arabsalmani; Amirhooshang Hooshang Jalali; Peyman Jafari
Abstract
Introduction: Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a diploid plant (2n= 24). Eggplant cultivated as perennial in the tropics regions and grown as an annual in temperate areas According to the statistics of FAO, the area under eggplant cultivation in Iran were about to 21.3 thousand hectares, with an average ...
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Introduction: Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a diploid plant (2n= 24). Eggplant cultivated as perennial in the tropics regions and grown as an annual in temperate areas According to the statistics of FAO, the area under eggplant cultivation in Iran were about to 21.3 thousand hectares, with an average yield of 31.4 tons per hectare. Eggplants grow into large plants that causes too much plant canopy, so pruning the plant is a good way to reduce the number of branches, leaves and to increase fruit set. Normally, pruning is not done on the eggplant plant and only 2 plants per square meter could be grown in the field and also greenhouse conditions. However, pruning operations should be performed in greenhouse conditions and plants might be kept with 2 to 4 branches. A study was conducted to evaluate the best method of eggplant pruning in greenhouse conditions in the Netherlands and the plants were pruned into one or two branches. Plants were pruned again from the second branch in different cases including the first, third, sixth and ninth nodes. The results showed that severe pruning had a positive effect on plant conditions and fruitset was better in heavily pruned plants.Material and Methods: This experiment was conducted in 2018 and 2019 in greenhouse conditions in Varamin city. This area located 40 km from Tehran with an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level, an area of approximately 1500 square kilometers, longitude 50 degrees and 51 minutes, latitude 19 degrees and 35 minutes and the amount of first and second-degree agricultural lands 75 thousand Hectares. The average long-term annual rainfall is 120 mm, and the prevailing wind direction is southeast to northwest. The combined analysis based on a randomized complete block design experiment with three replications conducted and the treatments included three methods of plant pruning (two-branch, three-branch and four-branch). The seeds of Bellen variety planted in culture trays containing enriched peat moss and placed in an environment with a temperature of approximately 27 °C and relative humidity of 80%. After germination of seeds, the ambient temperature decreased to 24 °C during the day and 18 °C during the night. After the seedlings reached 3-4 leaves, they transferred to the main greenhouse. Pruning and guiding the plant on the scaffolding began with the first flower appearing on the meristem axis. All the male branches removed before the mentioned flower and the sub-branches branching from the main axis were allowed to grow above the first flower position. After data collection, data analyzed by SAS software and the means compared by Duncan test.Results and Discussion: The effect of year on yield and yield components of eggplant were not statistically significant (Duncan 5%). Effect of pruning treatments on yield components, number of fruits in the first cut and early maturity index at 5% level and on total yield, the total number of fruits and number of fruits per plant were also statistically significant at 1% level. Two-branch and four-branch pruning treatments were statistically superior to three-branch pruning treatments, but considering the yield in the first four harvests, two-branch pruning treatment with the production of 5.33 t ha-1, compared to two three-pruning treatments and four branches showed a significant increase. Earliness index of plants that pruning in two, three and four plant branches were 12.21, 9.5 and 8.83%, respectively. The total yield in three pruning treatments of two, three and four branches were 44.45, 46.67 and 49.87 t ha-1, respectively. The results showed that branch pruning had positive effects on eggplant yield and based on the purpose of the research, including early crop production or higher total performance, the type of pruning will be different. Examination of the correlation coefficients of the traits measured in the experiment also showed that the relationship between pruning (branch removal) and yield in both totals (0.69*) and the first four harvests (0.80**) was significant. The correlation between the number of branches and eggplant yield has reported in some other studies nevertheless in some studies has not the different relationship between performance and number of plant branches. In reviewing the performance and diversity of morphological traits of some local varieties of Iranian eggplant relationship between fruit yield and number of fruits per plant were positive and significant.
Mehdi Bagheri; Iman Roohollahi; Sasan Aliniaeifard
Abstract
Introduction: Management of rose plant structure plays an important role in flower production throughout the year and determines the amount of rose plant life span and influence plant development and quality of cut flowers (length, diameter and weight). In the past, roses were planted in a row, and their ...
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Introduction: Management of rose plant structure plays an important role in flower production throughout the year and determines the amount of rose plant life span and influence plant development and quality of cut flowers (length, diameter and weight). In the past, roses were planted in a row, and their structure was in the form of long vertical hedges, with annual pruning often involving, disbudding and pinching. Rose growers tend to bend non-producing shoots to increase light absorption and build more photosynthetic assimilates and increases the quality of the produced cut flowers. In this study was investigated for proper management of pruning of cut rose bud with an emphasis on degrees of shoot bending. Materials and Methods: The cutting's media were prepared from a combination of Cocopeat and Perlite at 50% equilibrium. The cuttings were planted in two-meter-long boxes 18 cm apart. From day 4, nutrient solution was injected into the substrates. Nutrient solution volume per plant was 550 ml per day, which was injected 11 times into the culture medium. In order to select the best plant structure architecture for producing the highest quality of the cut flowers, a factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with two shoot pruning and bending treatments. During the bending process to increase the accuracy of the experiment, two bent shoots were counted for all cuttings, six days after bending treatment the dormant buds were activated in the primitive part of the stem and began to grow. Pruning of the buds was done in two levels of 50% pruning and without pruning. 45 days after bud removal, flower shoots were harvested, and samples were transferred to the laboratory for post-harvest evaluation. Chlorophyll and carbohydrate concentration, photosynthesis index, physiological, morphological and photosynthetic parameters were measured as well as vase life trait. Results and Discussion: Pruning of buds at 1% probability level was important on carbohydrate content and bending at 5% probability level on carbohydrate and vase life. Furthermore, the interaction between the two pruning treatment and bending at 1% probability level was significant on the carbohydrate content and vase life. In general, it could be concluded that by bending the shoots, the light penetrates into the plant structure, which ultimately increased photosynthesis and the amount of carbohydrates in flower buds. It could be concluded from the observations that bent shoots with appropriate angles could consume their carbohydrates for bud flower production. In other words, bending branches plays the role of factories which task is to deliver the photosynthetic production in the bending branches to the flower branches that are the most important consumer. The results showed that bending of branches (45 and 90 degree), with increasing light absorption and making more photosynthetic assimilates and changing their flow from bent branches to shoots, caused their proper growth and 30% increasing in the fresh and dry weight traits. The diameter of the bud and the length of the flower shoot increased post-harvest quality of the cut flower. Furthermore, the interaction of bud pruning and bending had a positive effect on carbohydrate content of flower shoots. On the other hand, the vase life were evaluated, which showed that the bending 45 degree had the highest vase life (22.5) and 120 degree had the lowest vase life. At treatment 120 degree (lowest postharvest survival), non-pruned treatments showed longer vase life (16 days) and lower pruned treatments after harvest (13.5 days). It also showed the highest fresh weight, dry weight, peduncle diameter and flower length are 45 degree. No significant difference was observed in the photosynthesis rate of a bent branch near the bed and vertical branches above the bed. By bending the branch at the right angle, it made the bent light branch more efficiently utilized and maintained its photosynthetic rate, although bending stress, at the high levels and in the manufacture of carbohydrates and other products. Photosynthesis for helping the plant eventually gained more carbohydrates from its vertical branches (flowering), and increasing carbohydrates will lead to a relative increase in quality, bud diameter and flower length and eventually vase life of the cut flower. Conclusion: The results of the bending treatment showed that the accuracy of the bending time and degree of 45° and 90° subsequently resulted in an increase in the quality of production.
Hassan Akbari-Bishe; Hamid Reza Bahrami
Abstract
A study of two years was carried out on apples, red delicious cv. in Comeh of Semirom region. The objective of this research was to assess the effect of pre-harvest calcium phosphate (Seniphos) spraying and summer pruning on the skin color and quality characteristics of the fruit. Study was carried out ...
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A study of two years was carried out on apples, red delicious cv. in Comeh of Semirom region. The objective of this research was to assess the effect of pre-harvest calcium phosphate (Seniphos) spraying and summer pruning on the skin color and quality characteristics of the fruit. Study was carried out using a complete randomized block design with 3 replications. Trees were subjected to pre-harvest spraying of 0.8, 1% and 1.2% seniphos (calcium phosphate) and pruning on 6 and 21 of august. A control test also was carried out. Each block contained 3 trees. 15 kilo of fruit was harvested randomly from each block. Firmness, skin color, acidity, TSS, overall acceptability, bitter rot, rotting and farinaceous texture of fruit were assessed after 2 and 4 month storage at 4 ºc and 95% of humidity. ANOVA test based on 2 year study data indicated significant effect of applied treatments (α=1%) on all studied parameters. Skin redness increased significantly comparing to the control sample. The highest redness was observed in the 1.2% seniphos spraying treatment. After 2 months of storage, firmness farinaceous texture, bitter rot and overall acceptability of fruit in seniphos and summer pruning treatments changed significantly comparing to those of control sample. After 4 months of storage, there was significant difference between 1.2% seniphos treatment and other treatments including the control in view point of firmness, rotting, farinaceous texture and bitter rot of the fruit. The acceptable firmness and overall acceptability were obtained by using 1% and 1.2% seniphos spraying treatments.
