Response of rose to water-soluble fertilizer and humic acid for growth, yield and quality

Rose is one of the important commercial flowers used extensively in India. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of water-soluble fertilizer (WSF) and humic acid (HA) on the growth, yield, and quality of roses during 2022 -23. The treatments comprised of four WSF levels (0, 200, 300 and 400 g of 19 N: 19 P₂O₅: 19 K₂O) and three humic acid levels (0, 500 and 750 ppm) in as many , twelve treatment combinations replicated thrice and evaluated under factorial randomized block design. The combined application of 400 g WSF and 750 ppm humic acid significantly enhanced the vegetative growth evident from increased numbers of branches and leaf area. While, the treatment combination of 300 g WSF and 500 ppm humic acid significantly improved the yield-contributing characteristics, including the number of flowers. Overall, the application of 300 g WSF and 750 ppm humic acid was observed highly beneficial for promoting growth, flowering, yield and quality of roses compared to control. These findings highlight the potential benefits of integrating water-soluble fertilizers and humic acid in optimizing the rose production.