Effect of nutrition on deformation disease in Gypsophila paniculata mother plants

ABSTRACT Deformation disease of Gypsophila paniculata mother plants reduces cutting yields as much as 50% but does not kill the mother plants. In preliminary experiments, fertigation of G. paniculata mother plants with a 20:20:20 compound fertilizer (N, P, K, plus microelements) at an N concentration of 720 mg/liter reduced the expression of deformation disease compared with the conventional N concentration of 360 mg/liter. The current study determined which component of the compound fertilizer reduced the disease. Experiments were carried out in 10-liter buckets packed with naturally infested 0- to 8-mm black tuff (Scoria = crushed volcanic stones). Irrigation was applied once a day at 0.5 liter per bucket with the nutrient under test being added at 1.0 liter per bucket via the water once a week. Treatments included: (i) four levels of 20:20:20 fertilizer; (ii) four levels of each of N, P, K, and Fe-Zn-Mn mixture (ME) corresponding to their concentrations in the compound fertilizer; (iii) different N sou...