Comparison of corm soaks with preharvest foliar application of moringa leaf extract for improving growth and yield of cut Freesia hybrida

Moringa leaf extract (MLE) is an organic bio-stimulant that can enhance crop growth and alleviate various stresses. The use of MLE might address a number of production issues on freesia, which is a popular bulbous cut flower grown and shipped worldwide. A field study was conducted to compare the effects of corm soaking with preharvest foliar applications of MLE on various morphological, physiological and yield attributes of freesia (Freesia hybrida L.). Two experiments were conducted; in experiment I, corms were soaked in 1%, 2%, 5% or 10% MLE solution for 24 h followed by air drying before planting, while in experiment II, untreated corms were planted and MLE at 1%, 2%, 3% or 5% was sprayed until runoff at 30 and 60 days after planting. Corms soaked in 5% MLE exhibited rapid 50% sprouting (3.2 d earlier compared to control), produced tallest plants (58.6 cm) with shortest production time (9 d earlier than control), highest number of leaves per plant (21.6), leaf area (109.2 cm2), leaf total chlorophyll contents (64.1 SPAD), stem diameter (4.3 mm), number of flowers per stem (6.6), number of marketable stems (3.1) and longest vase life (9 d), while flower diameter was highest (36.7 mm) when corms were treated with 2% MLE. In experiment II, foliar application of 3% MLE at 30 and 60 d after planting produced the tallest plants (16.3 cm taller than control) with shortest production time (9 d earlier than control), greatest leaf area (88.6 cm2), leaf total chlorophyll contents (57.02 SPAD), flower diameter (34.9 mm), number of leaves per plant (21.9), stem length (53.3 cm), stem diameter (3.9 mm), number of flowers per stem (6.5), and number of marketable stems (2.8) with longest vase life (3.3 d longer than control). Results demonstrated that MLE application significantly improved growth, quality and yield of Freesia hybrida by providing growth substances and minerals required for optimal growth and may be used by the growers as corm soak or foliar application for high quality cut freesia production. Among application methods, corm soaks were better than foliar applications.