The effect of different calcium concentrations on flower quality characteristics in two rose cultivars under hydroponic conditions

Calcium is one of the most important essential elements in the growth and development of plants, which affects many physiological activities of plant tissue even after harvest. Calcium plays an important role in cell stability and the integrity of plant tissues, and the amount of calcium in plant tissue is considered as a quality characteristic and attribute for many products. In this study, the effect of different concentrations of nutrient solution calcium (150, 220, 300 and 400 mg/L) on the flowering characteristics of two cut rose cultivars (Utopia and Dolcevita) was investigated in a factorial design in 2010-11. The results showed that the main effects of cultivar and calcium on the studied traits were significant, but the interaction effects of cultivar and calcium concentrations did not show significant differences in these traits. Analysis of variance of the data showed that there was a significant difference between the two rose cultivars in some reproductive traits such as flower stalk length, flower stalk diameter, and flower lifespan at the 5% probability level of Duncan's test.