Response of Sonia roses to continuous daytime CO₂ supplementation under controlled environment conditions

Abstract

Rose plants (Rosa hybrida cv. Sonia, Syn. Sweet Promise) were placed in growth chambers under conditions resembling winter in a controlled environment greenhouse in the desert: mild temperatures, high incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), high air humidity and 10.5 h daylenght. Concentrations of CO2 in the air were maintained throughout the day at 320, 600 or 1200 8l l-1 with approximately 350 8l l-1 at night. Plant growth (length, fresh and gry weight), development (breaks, blindness), flower yield and flower quality (flower bud diameter, fresh weight and cane length) indices were monitored throughout three consecutive flowering cycles. CO2 supplementation caused an increase in leaf resistance to water vapour diffusion, accompanied by a reduction in the rate of transpiration per unit leaf area, Total leaf area increased at higher CO2 concentrations. Water use per plant did not change. Plant water potentials increased with rising CO2 concentrations. Growth, development, flower yield and flower quality were greatly enahnced in the CO2-enriched atmosphere. The response of growth and development to CO2 supplementation tended to decrease slightly with time when calculated per branch, but increased when calculated per plant. Flower yield and qualtiy did not change with time. The highest CO2 treatment resulted in a sustained, approximately 50% increase in yield, and doubling of the above quality indices throughout the three growth cycles.