Assessment of Different Growing Media on Cut Flower Performance of Two Gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus) Cultivars

Abstract

One of the most important problems encountered in the cultivation of cut flower gladiolus is soil-borne diseases and pests. This problem substantially reduces flower yield and quality. Soilless culture is very limited for gladiolus and it has not been studied extensively. The characteristics of the growing media used in soilless culture either directly or indirectly affect yield and quality. Therefore, it is quite essential to determine the appropriate growing media in cut flower cultivation. At the same time good flower production usually depends upon various factors including the type of growing media used. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of two different gladiolus varieties (Gladiolus grandiflorus L. cv. “Purple Flora” and “Ibadan”) and six different growing media (peat+pumice: 1:1, v/v; peat+perlite: 1:1, v/v; rice hull+pumice: 1:2, v/v; coarse sand+peat: 2:1, v/v; soil; and cocopeat) on the some quality parameters of gladiolus in in Batı Akdeniz Agricultural Research Institute (BATEM), Antalya, Türkiye. Quality parameters (stem length, flower stem diameter, stem weight, flowering time, number of florest) were significantly (p < 0.01) affected by the different growing media and cultivars. Among the growing media, the earliest flowering time (77.8 days) and the longest stem length (128.0 cm) were determined in peat+perlite, whereas the largest number of florets (15.0 florets spike-1) were recorded in peat+pumice. Regarding the varieties, Purple Flora (84.7 days) flowered earlier than Ibadan (102.7 days), while Ibadan displayed more superior characteristics in terms of the other parameters.