Document Type
Article
Major
Allied Health Sciences
Mentor
Dr. Mayra A. Toro-Herrera, Dept. of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture
Disciplines
Horticulture | Plant Sciences
Abstract
Modern industrial agricultural practices rely heavily on the use of fertilizers and pesticides to increase crop quality and quality which overtime gradually degrades the quality of cultivated soils and aquatic environments. The purpose of this project is to determine how chitosan polymers with various molecular weights affect the growth and flowering of Geranium plants as well as the water and nutrient retention capacity of the substrate. Three chitosans with different molecular weights (2 kDa, 50 kDa, and 970 Da) were experimented on the geraniums. Each chitosan treatment was applied through a spray system onto the experimental group plants after transplantation into 8-inch square pots with soilless substrate. The medium molecular weight chitosan (T3) was shown to cause the decrease in the amount of applied water and leachate the most, while there was no significant difference found for pH, nitrate, number of inflorescences, SPAD, EC, width, and number of leaves for all treatments.
Recommended Citation
Liu, Maggie, "Effect of chitosan on plant growth, flowering, and substrate characteristics of potted Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum)" (2023). Holster Scholar Projects. 52.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/srhonors_holster/52