FACTORS AFFECTING MEDIA pH AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE IN GERANIUMS

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dc.contributor.advisorMCINTOSH, MARLA Sen_US
dc.contributor.authorRaymond, Carinne A.en_US
dc.contributor.departmentPlant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA)en_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2004-10-09T05:17:59Z
dc.date.available2004-10-09T05:17:59Z
dc.date.issued2004-08-30en_US
dc.description.abstractConsumer demand has prompted an increase in geranium breeding efforts to produce new cultivars each season. It is hypothesized that the breeding for unique morphological traits has inadvertently resulted in changing the plant's ability to competitively take up nutrients. Under certain conditions, nutrient uptake of these novelty cultivars is less efficient, possibly caused by the influence of the geranium itself. Information collected from the container media is a good indicator of the container nutritional status and can be used as a diagnostic tool for early identification of nutritional problems and prevent plant loss. Severe nutrient deficiencies and toxicities have been associated with plants fertigated with low alkalinity water, suggesting that an unsteady pH in the rhizosphere coupled with low buffering capacity of irrigation water may cause preferential nutrient uptake. Maintaining a media pH that optimizes nutrient solubility while preventing interactions or precipitation is the goal for ensuring proper plant nutrition. Three experiments were performed to address the following objectives: 1.) Evaluate the effects of the geranium cultivar and class on the container media. 2.) Determine if media type affects nutrient availability and uptake by geraniums. 3.) Identify if preferential nutrient uptake occurs in response to changing pH and water alkalinity levels in the container media. Results indicate that a significant reduction in media pH occurs for zonal and ivy geraniums during a specific stage of growth and that the effects of pH and water alkalinity on nutrient uptake and are highly specific to the nutrient tested and the media type. Significant interactions between water alkalinity and pH contributed to preferential uptake of several of the tested nutrients especially at low water alkalinities. Overall, the differences in uptake were in most cases specific to cultivar, the stage of growth and nutrient tested and should be considered when determining optimal fertility requirements for specific geranium cultivars.en_US
dc.format.extent2786096 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1877
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledAgriculture, Plant Cultureen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledAgriculture, Agronomyen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledAgriculture, Generalen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledGERANIUMSen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledpHen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledALKALINITYen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledFERTILIZERen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledPETERSen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledMICRONUTRIENTSen_US
dc.titleFACTORS AFFECTING MEDIA pH AND NUTRIENT UPTAKE IN GERANIUMSen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

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