ISHS Acta Horticulturae 517: XXV International Horticultural Congress, Part 7: Quality of Horticultural Products
BIODEGRADABLE FIBER CONTAINERS IMPROVE THE GROWTH OF TWO DAYLILY CULTIVARS |
| Author: | J.M. Ruter |
| Keywords: | container production, copper hydroxide, daylilies, fiber containers, Hemerocallis |
| Abstract:
A study was conducted with two cultivars of Hemerocallis ('Aztec Gold' and 'Stella de Oro') to evaluate growth and flowering in black plastic containers, black plastic containers treated with SpinOut (copper hydroxide), thin-walled (1–3 mm) fiber containers treated with SpinOut, and thick-walled (5–6 mm) fiber containers treated with SpinOut. Final growth indices were largest for both cultivars grown in thick-walled fiber containers. For 'Aztec Gold', plants grown in fiber containers had higher foliage and root dry weights, total biomass, and root:shoot ratios. When grown in thick-walled fiber containers, foliage dry weight increased 3x and root dry weight increased 4x compared to plants in black plastic containers. Container design had no influence on foliage or root dry weight for 'Stella de Oro'. Production in fiber containers increased the number of flowers on 'Stella de Oro' but not 'Aztec Gold'. Plants of 'Aztec Gold' produced more fans in fiber containers compared to those in plastic containers. Thin-walled fiber containers began to deteriorate after six months, whereas thick-walled containers were structurally intact at the end of the study. The results indicate that biodegradable fiber containers are beneficial for production of daylilies and offer an alternative to traditional plastic containers. | |
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