Better synchronizing of plant - available phosphorus ( P ) with harvest P requirement is required to reduce P loss to the surroundings and to better resource - efficiency of the exploitation of non - renewable phosphate rock . In horticultural plant production , a qualified availability of phosphorus may limit radical distance and improve compactness , which are desirable characters for many ornamental plants .

In a new study , researcher investigated the effect of reduced availability of phosphorus on plant life quality , biomass yield and phosphorus efficiency of poinsettia ( Euphorbia pulcherrima cv . ‘ Mira Red ’ ) and chrysanthemum ( Chrysanthemum × morifolium resume . ‘ Breeze Cassis ’ ) . Five P concentration ( 6 , 12 , 18 , 24 or 48 mg L⁻¹ ) were utilize as starter P in the peat - based potting substrate as well as in the nutrient resolution give during the experiment .

Stem distance of both plant life specie was powerfully curtail at 6 mg P L⁻¹ but was not significantly affected by higher P spirit level . For poinsettia , the optimum bract diameter was obtained at 18 milligram P L⁻¹. For maximal shoot juiceless biomass , branching and plant diam , however , 24 milligram L⁻¹ was needed . Optimal plant diameter and germinate biomass of chrysanthemum was obtained at 18 atomic number 12 P L⁻¹ while 24 mg L⁻¹ was required for maximal bloom number .

Increasing the phosphorus provision to 48 magnesium L⁻¹ did not improve shoot dry thing , fork or florescence of either species , but induced lavishness uptake of P. Total shoot phosphorus uptake increased linearly over the atomic number 15 fertilizer range test . For optimal flora biomass combined with optimum decorative quality , fritter atomic number 15 concentration at 90 DAP was in the mountain range of 0.30 - 0.35 % for poinsettia and 0.25 - 0.30 % for chrysanthemum . Chrysanthemum show a high phosphorus efficiency than poinsettia at low atomic number 15 levels , mainly relate to a high internal atomic number 15 utilization efficiency . The P acquisition efficiency was in the mountain range of 55–60 % for both species , and was not significantly affected by the total amount of atomic number 15 go for .

In conclusion , with the P fertilisation strategy used , P restriction could not be used for plant height restriction of poinsettia “ Mira Red ” or chrysanthemum “ Breeze Cassis ” without electronegative effects on flora caliber . However , atomic number 15 impregnation could be markedly reduced without negatively charged effects on flora growth and development , amend phosphorus efficiency and recuperation .

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