Identifier

etd-0403103-220359

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Plant, Environmental Management and Soil Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Specialty cut flowers are nontraditional cut flowers used primarily in floral arrangements. Most specialty cut flowers are grown in an open field and production is dependent on a combination of climactic factors, which in turn affects the number of days to harvest and yield. Scheduled plantings of Celosia argentea var. cristata L., Helianthus annuus L., Zinnia elegans Jacq., and Gladiolus X hortulanus L. H. Bailey were conducted to determine the effect of time on the number of days to harvest and yield. Plants were grown in an open field from February to August in 2001 and 2002. Days to harvest decreased for the later planting dates of Gladiolus and Zinnia, but varied between planting dates for Celosia and Helianthus. Postharvest longevity of pollen-producing and pollenless cultivars was found to be similar, but longevity appears to be cultivar dependent. Few differences in yield for branching cultivars of Celosia and for two cut stem lengths of Zinnia were found over the planting dates. Scheduled plantings of cut flowers are necessary for season-long production of a particular crop however; days to harvest and yield may vary throughout the growing season for a particular crop.

Date

2003

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Jeffery S. Kuehny

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.231

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