Fertilizer boron (B) and molybdenum (Mo) were provided to contrasting cultivars of subirrigated pot chrysanthemums at approximately 6-100% of current industry standards in an otherwise balanced nutrient solution during vegetative growth, and then all nutrients were removed during reproductive growth. Two experiments were conducted for each nutrient in a naturally lit greenhouse using a randomized complete block split-plot design. Boron (0.313-5.00 µmol L-1) or Mo (0.031-0.500 µmol L-1) was the main plot, and cultivar was the sub-plot. Petal quilling was observed with leaf-B of 11.3-19.4 mg kg-1 dry mass (DM), whereas Mo deficiency was not observed with leaf-Mo of 1.0-3.7 mg kg-1 DM. Optimized supplies resulted in leaf tissue levels of 48.8-72.5 mg B kg-1 DM and 1.9-4.8 mg Mo kg-1 DM. Boron uptake efficiency was more important than B utilization efficiency in sustaining plant/inflorescence growth with decreasing B supply, whereas Mo uptake and utilization efficiencies appeared to have similar importance in sustaining plant/inflorescence growth with decreasing Mo supply. This research contributes to the development of a sustainable low-input nutrient delivery strategy for floricultural operations, wherein nutrient supply is interrupted during reproductive growth and optimized during vegetative growth.
Keywords: closed subirrigation; environmental sustainability; greenhouse floriculture; nutrient delivery; nutrient interactions; nutrient use efficiency.