The experiment was carried out in the lath house at the Horticulture and Landscaping Department/College of Agriculture/University of Diyala, during the season 2015-2016 to study the effect of chelated calcium and iron foliar spray on growth and flowering of snapdragon plant (Antirrhinum majus L.). The experiment included six treatments: T1 = 0 (Spraying with distilled water only), T2 = 1.5 g.l-1 chelated calcium, T3 = 3 g.l-1 chelated calcium, T4 = 1 g.l-1 chelated iron, T5 = 1.5 g.l-1 chelated calcium + 1 g.l-1 chelated iron and T6 = 3 g.l-1 chelated calcium + 1 g.l-1 chelated iron. The experiment was carried out using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. (Each treatment has six replicates (6 pots), one plant in each pot. The results showed that all the foliar spraying treatments with chelated calcium and iron led to a significant increase in all vegetative and floral growth characteristics studied except for inflorescence diameter in comparison with control treatment.
Applying biochar (BC) to broad acre crops is an effective way to sequester carbon while improving soil fertility and reducing nutrient leaching. Adopting a similar approach in a hydroponic environment, BC may enhance nutrient availability and reduce natural fluctuations in the nutrient solution. This study monitored the effect of BC addition to peatmoss growth media with ratios of 0%, 5%, 25% and 50% on pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and macronutrient retention, over 15 days using hydroponic nutrient solution controls. Deionised water was used to measure nutrient releases in the closed loop hydroponic system, showing that biochar increased pH level in both retention and release stages. As expected, the pH increased by a maximum of 1.5 units with the highest biochar to growth media ratio due to the natural liming nature of the BC. The EC was also affected, as BC increased in the media EC reduced. With regards to retention of nutrients, BC recovered nitrate, phosphate, calcium and sulphate but did not affect magnesium. Potassium levels increased in solution with increasing BC ratio. In terms of outcomes relevant to global agriculture, the results show that the same level of production can nominally be obtained with around half the nutrient requirements.
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