The effect of chloride and bicarbonate levels in irrigation water on nutrition content, production and quality of cut roses "Mercedes"

Irrigation with chlorinated (Cl$) and bicarbonated (HCO$) water, the main salts being NaCl and NaHCO$, respectively, was used to study the effect of Na+, Cl$ and HCO$ concentrations on the yield of ghood-quality cut roses from "Mercedes" grafted on the rootstock Roea canina "Inermis". All treatments lowered the number of good-quality roses compared with irrigation with available water (contro). The smallest number of flowers/plant (64% of control) was obtained with 13.6 mmols l$ Cl$ ; water with 7.8 mmol l$$ Cl$ and 6.8 mmol l$$ HCO, gave 79.6 and 78.6% flowers/plant of control respectively. Concentrations of Na$, Cl$ and HCO, in the soil and Na$ and Cl$ in the leaves, when higher than normal (control), affected both the total number and the quality of the flowers produced.