Vol. 72 No: 2

Title:
Importance of Plant Architecture and Plant Density for Rose Crop Performance

Author:
M.T.N. KOOL

pp: 195-204

Abstract:
The relationships between plant architecture and flower production of rose were studied for a cropping period of 2.5 years. Four types of plants, varying in number of basal shoots and their architecture were created, which were combined with three plant densities (7.7–11.6 and 17.4 plants per m²). Plant architecture was mainly managed by manipulation of the basal-shoot formation in combination with height of pruning and deshooting practices. The investment in stem mass significantly reduced the number and weight of flowers for the first eight months. This was due to a delay in time of basal shoot growth, restriction of number of outgrowing shoots and disbudding of shoots. However, this initial financial loss of about DFl 20 per m² amply paid itself in the next two cropping years. Regression analyses showed that number and diameter of second-order laterals as formed after eight months, could explain more than 70% of the variation in number and weight of flowers harvested in more than two cropping years. Flower production was much less related to the number and diameter of basal shoots than to number and diameter of second-order laterals. The importance of the diameter and cross-sectional areas of shoots of different heights with respect to assimilate storage and transport capacity is discussed in relation to flower production. Increasing plant densities lead to a higher biomass and more flower production but with a reduced individual plant weight. Furthermore, weight of harvested flowers was reduced. The harvest index was neither affected by the applied treatments nor by plant density.

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