Evaluation of yield responses of carnation and rose cut flowers to salinity

Abstract EN

The objective of this research was to study the potential reuse of low quality water (treated saline wastewater) reuse in irrigation of cut flower crops in Jordan with particular emphasis on yield responses.

The effect of three irrigation frequencies of treated saline wastewater on yield of three carnation cultivars (Voyore, red; Diana, yellow; and Chad, yellow red tinted) and one rose cultivar (First Red) grown on three rootstocks (Rosa indica, Rosa canina, and Natal Briar) was investigated in two media, soil and volcanic stone granules (tuff).

Water regimes for soil experiments were irrigation as 100 % of evaporation pan reading every other day, every two days and every three days.

Tuff experiments were daily irrigated at 120%, 100%, and 80%> of the pan evaporation readings.

Applied water levels showed insignificant effect on yield of the three carnation cultivars and that of First Red rose cultivar on the three rootstocks.

Carnations tolerated salinity up to 2.5 and 5.0 dS/m in soil and tuff media respectively.

While roses tolerated salinity levels up to 3.3 and 3.6 dS/m in soil and tuff medium respectively irrespective of irrigation regime.

The yellow carnation cultivar, Diana produced the highest yields in saline conditions compared to the red and tinted cultivars in both soil and tuff planting media.

First Red rose cultivar grown on the Natal Briar rootstock showed the best production distribution during the experiment that exceeded yields when grown on Rosa indica and Rosa canina rootstocks planted in soil but not in tuff planting medium.

It is recommended that more studies are done on the reuse of low quality water (treated wastewater) for cut flower production.