Abstract:
Tuberose (
Polianthes tuberosa
L.) is one of the most important bulbous ornamenta
l
crops of tropical and subtropical areas. The object
ive of the present study was to
determine the interaction effects of salinity and i
rrigation intervals on growth and
flowering of two important commercial cultivars (‘M
ahallati’ and ‘Dezfuli’) of tuberose
(
Polianthes tuberosa
L.). Irrigation treatments consisted of four irrig
ation intervals 2, 4, 6,
and 8 days, and salinity treatments in the irrigati
on water were
EC
values of 0.7 (control),
1.9, 3.1, and 4.3 dS m
-1
. This research was carried out in a complete rando
mized design
with factorial arrangement. It can be concluded tha
t tuberose is sensitive to water and
salinity stress. In both cultivars of tuberose, veg
etative and reproductive parameters were
unfavorably affected by these stresses. However, ‘M
ahallati’ was more sensitive to those
stresses than ‘Dezfuli’. Further investigations are
needed to clarify in depth the
mechanism of tuberose sensitivity to the studied en
vironmental stresses at both molecular
and ultra-structural levels.
Keywords
: Abiotic stress, Bulbous plant, Cut flower, Water
management.
