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Efficiency of a closed hydroponic system and nano-silica treatment in resource use, quality, and production of ‘Samurai’ roses
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Parvan Aghdak   , Rahim Barzegar * , Ali Nikbakht , Hossein Shariatmadari , Sadegh Mousavi-fard , Alireza Alipour |
| Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University |
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Abstract: (2423 Views) |
Closed hydroponic systems are expanding because of increased water and fertilizer use efficiency. Because of Iran's limited water resources, investigating the feasibility of these systems is a research priority. To investigate the effect of different refill nutrient solution concentrations and nano silica foliar applications on the yield, quality, and resource use efficiency of a cut rose ‘Samurai’, a factorial experiment using a completely randomized design with 4 levels of refill nutrient solution concentrations (control or using a full-strength nutrient solution in an open system, three quarters, one second, and one quarter) and two levels of nano silica (zero and 2 mg/L) was carried out. In recirculation treatments, the drained solution was collected from the beds for each treatment and returned to the main tank; then, to compensate for the decrease in water and nutrient volume, nutrient solutions at three-quarter, one-half, and one-fourth concentrations were used to refill. Four months after recirculation began, nano silica was applied via foliar spray at one-week intervals for 12 applications. The highest bud length, stem length and diameter, leaf number and area, and stem fresh weight were associated with the control and three-fourth refill nutrient solution treatments with nano silica. Total chlorophyll was highest in the control without nano silica. The control with nano silica foliar application had the highest carbohydrate content. Across all refill nutrient solution concentrations, nano silica increased carbohydrate levels compared with its absence. The control and three-quarter nano silica treatments also showed the highest postharvest longevity and yield. The three-quarter nano silica foliar treatment showed the highest water use efficiency. The one-quarter nano silica treatment showed the best fertilizer use efficiency. These results show that using a three-quarter concentration of the refill nutrient solution with nano silica foliar application can be a suitable alternative to conventional open cultivation in greenhouses, while maintaining flower quality and increasing water and fertilizer use efficiency.
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| Keywords: Greenhouse, Controlled production, Fertilizer, Resource-saving, Cut flower |
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Full-Text [PDF 1199 kb]
(236 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/07/25 | Accepted: 2025/05/25 | Published: 2026/06/2
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