engleski

Morphological and chemical properties of Viola odorata L. dependence of substrate and fertilization

Sweet violet (Viola odorata L.) blooms in spring. It has delicate flowers that are often collected from natural habitats for their appealing fragrance. In ornamental horticulture it is used for cut flowers or planted in gardens. The whole plant is edible and curative, and there are numerous possibilities for its use for nutritional, pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. In order to achieve more successful breeding, special attention should be given to the substrate (better results are achieved in peat-based than in soil based substrate) and fertilization (nitrogen affects the foliage mass, and phosphorus, calcium and magnesium the quality). With the aim to obtain better information about selecting the most favorable substrate and the optimal dose of fertilizer, an investigation was conducted with five different types of commercial substrates, garden soil and soil from natural habitats and the foliar nutrition in four fertilization treatments (control, 0.1% NPK-Mg, 0.2% NPK-Mg and 0.2% NPK- Mg + 4% MgSO4). Chemical analysis of the soil showed that the soil is medium with less organic matter, higher pH reaction and richer in potassium compared to a commercial substrate. Fertilization was carried out two times, and morphometric measurements of plant height, plant diameter, number of leaves and flowers, the colors of leaves and flowers were done before and after fertilization. The results of the measurements show that the plants grown in soil were larger in diameter and height, but had a smaller number of leaves. Also, we find that fertilization increased plant diameter by 6% and number of leaves by 13%, while plant height was not affected. Selecting the most acceptable media with optimal fertilization we can indirectly reduce the destruction of this nutritionally valuable and ornamental plant species in its natural habitats, and make it very interesting commercially.

growing media ; morphometric properties ; essential oils

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