Zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.) is a fast-growing and easy to cultivate plant that has flowers of different colors. This species has become an option to be introduced commercially in many countries as cut flower and its floral quality is influenced by different cultivation techniques. We evaluated the production and the quality of floral stems of zinnia (cv. Red California Giant) in response to growing seasons and irrigation levels. In a greenhouse located in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), zinnia plants were grown in two cycles (autumn-winter and winter-spring) in pots with water replacement corresponding to 46, 64, 75 and 100% of their water requirement. Based on the stem length and diameter and on the flower diameter, there was variation in the quality of the stems produced in the growing seasons evaluated. All stems from the autumn-winter cycle were classified as A1 (high quality), while almost 9% of the stems from the winter-spring cycle were classified as A2 (medium quality). There was a linear growth trend in the production and quality of zinnia stems with the increase of the irrigation level in most cases, as well as significant effect of the growing seasons, with the best results of number of stems, fresh weight, length and diameter of the stem and flower diameter found in the autumn-winter cycle. The weather conditions of this cycle favor the production and quality of zinnia floral stems, and the replacement of 100% of the specie’s water requirement is recommended in both cultivation cycles.
The quality of floral stems depends on a set of pre-harvest factors which can influence their postharvest longevity. Although the identification of visual signs of senescence through scales is decisive in assessing the loss of floral quality in the postharvest period, this scale does not exist for zinnia flowers (Zinnia elegans Jacq.). Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of different irrigation levels and growing seasons on the postharvest longevity of zinnia floral stems; and to determine a senescence scale to assess their durability. Therefore, zinnia plants (cv. “Red California Giant”) were cultivated in pots inside a greenhouse in Seropédica (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), with a randomized block design, under four irrigation levels (46%, 64%, 75% and 100% of the species’ water requirement) and two cycles (autumn-winter and winter-spring). At the end of each cycle, 48 stems from each treatment were harvested and placed in containers holding 300 mL of supply water. For all irrigation levels and crop cycles, there was an increase in the fresh stem weight on the first days after harvesting and the water absorption rate was higher on the first day of evaluation. The proposed senescence scale allowed us to evaluate the loss of floral quality in the postharvest period. The stems from both cycles had satisfactory results, mainly of commercial longevity and the score 5 on the scale, which represents 100% of the stems’ market value. The main postharvest results of the zinnia floral stems were not influenced by the irrigation levels.
Traditionally, irrigation management has not been used in forest nurseries, compromising the efficiency of the system and the quality of seedlings. In this study, we evaluated the quality of seedlings under different irrigation levels and the substrate composed of pure biosolid, and the initial growth of three Atlantic Forest tree species, produced with automated irrigation management. Four irrigation levels (V1 to V4) were applied by dripping on Schizolobium parahyba (Vell.) Blake, Cytharexyllum myrianthum Chamiáo and Ceiba speciosa Ravenna seedlings. After that, the seedlings were planted to evaluate their early growth in pots. The water was applied in response to species requirement and the volume was measured by water flow sensors, connected to an Arduino MEGA board. Height, collar diameter, leaf area, dry mass and chlorophyll content measurements were used to assess plant development on the seedling and early growth stages. Seedlings that received the highest average volume of water (V4) had a higher rate of growth in height and collar diameter for the three species studied. Despite this, the seedlings that received a smaller volume of water (V1) achieve similar size than V4 ones in pots. The plant growth and quality data, in the two phases analyzed, together with the aggregation of the substrate, indicate that the ideal irrigation level is linked to treatments that received the highest volumes of water (V3 and V4) in the seedling production phase. The results obtained indicate that it is possible to save water and produce seedlings of forest species with quality, ensuring their survival in the field.
The use of produced water becomes an option in the irrigation of non-food crops with potential for biofuel production. However, its effects on different stages of plant development and mainly on seed germination should be known. The study was conducted to evaluate the performance of sunflower seedlings subjected to different types of produced water. An experimental design in a factorial scheme was adopted to evaluate 3 cultivars (Catissol 01, Embrapa 122 and IAC Iaramã) and 6 types of water (distilled water - control, public-supply water, water resulting from the water and oil separation process - WOS, filtration in sand filter - SAF, filtration in sand + charcoal filter - SCF, and filtration in sand + osmosis filter - SOF). In addition, the substrate was moistened with polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions, simulating the osmotic potentials of the evaluated waters, and a sensitivity test was conducted with lettuce seeds under conditions similar to those adopted for sunflower. The cv. Catissol showed higher percentages of germination and vigor of seedlings, regardless of the water used. There was a trend of reduction in germination and vigor of seedlings with the use of produced water treated with the WOS, SAF and SCF systems. All water potentials simulated by PEG solutions reduced the germination and vigor of lettuce seeds, and the effect was more pronounced for the WOS system. SOF was the only one capable of making the produced water non-toxic to sunflower seeds and lettuce seedlings.
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