EFFECTS OF FOLIAR APPLICATION OF IRON, ZINC AND BORON ON FLOWERING AND POSTHARVEST QUALITY OF PEACE LILY [Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum (Liebm.) Engl.]
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/abr.2026.28.01.43Keywords:
Boron, iron, cut spathe, micronutrients, peace lily, ornamental aroid, Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum, vase life, zincAbstract
A pot experiment was conducted at the Bio-Technology-cum-Tissue Culture Centre, Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, India during 2022-23 and 2023-24 to evaluate the effects of foliar application of iron, zinc and boron on flowering and postharvest quality of peace lily (Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum (Liebm.) Engl.). Twenty-seven treatments comprising individual and combined applications of Fe, Zn and B at two concentrations were evaluated in a completely randomized design with three replications. Foliar sprays were applied at 30-day intervals, and observations were recorded on days to flower-bud appearance, number of flowers plant⁻¹ month⁻¹, spathe length, spathe breadth and vase life. Combined micronutrient treatments generally performed better than individual nutrient treatments and the control. Treatment T₂₆, comprising Fe @ 0.6 + Zn @ 0.5 + B @ 0.6 mg L⁻¹, resulted in the earliest flower-bud appearance, at 163.80 and 165.80 days, and the highest number of flowers, at 3.83 and 3.67 flowers plant⁻¹ month⁻¹, during 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. Treatment T₂₇, comprising Fe @ 0.6 + Zn @ 0.6 + B @ 0.5 mg L⁻¹, produced the longest spathes, greatest spathe breadth and maximum vase life. The corresponding values for spathe length were 21.79 and 23.71 cm, for spathe breadth were 11.27 and 11.87 cm, and for vase life were 4.80 and 4.42 days during the two seasons, respectively. Under the conditions of the experiment, combined foliar application of Fe, Zn and B improved flowering and postharvest quality of peace lily.
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