Effect of Nano-Silver treatments on Some Vegetative and Floral Growth Characteristics of Freesia (Freesia hybrida L.) Corms

• Fallah Hasan Kano Albyati& Ashjan Nazar Kamil

  Author

This study was conducted during the period from October 2025 to June 2026 in the wooden shade house of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering / College of Agriculture / Tikrit University, to investigate the effect of silver nanoparticles treatments (soaking and spraying) on vegetative growth characteristics, floral characteristics, and some post-harvest traits of Freesia hybrida L. The experiment was carried out using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The study included five treatments: control treatment (S0), soaking in nano-silver for one hour at concentrations of 5 and 10 mg L⁻¹ (S1 and S2), and spraying at concentrations of 5 and 10 mg L⁻¹ (S3 and S4). The results showed that Nano-silver treatments led to a significant improvement in some vegetative growth characteristics, as they contributed to increasing leaf area, total chlorophyll content, and inflorescence stalk length. The spraying treatments, particularly spraying at a concentration of 10 mg L⁻¹, were superior in giving the best results compared to the soaking treatments and the control treatment. The results also showed an improvement in floral characteristics, as Nano-silver treatments led to earlier flowering and reduced the number of days required for 50% inflorescence opening, in addition to improving some other floral characteristics. Regarding post-harvest traits, Nano-silver treatments increased vase life and the amount of solution absorbed, and reduced the deterioration of flowers after harvest, indicating their role in improving the water status and extending the marketability of the flowers.

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