Response of Floribunda Rose cv. Mirabel to different fertigation levels on growth and flowering

Abstract

Rose cultivation is highly nutrient-intensive and conventional fertilization often leads to nutrient losses and suboptimal performance. A field experiment was conducted from September 2024 to July 2025 to evaluate the effect of different fertigation levels on Floribunda rose cv. Mirabel. The study comprised seven treatments with graded NPK levels applied through fertigation and conventional soil application, laid out in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. Pooled analysis revealed that 175% RDF (87.5:87.5:131.25 g N:P:K/plant/year) through fertigation recorded the highest plant height (99.08 cm), number of primary (6.03) and secondary branches (30.10), leaf count (328.53), stem girth (22.58 mm) and plant spread (84.58 cm E-W; 94.85 cm N-S). The same treatment exhibited the earliest bud initiation (24.22 days), 50% flowering (27.84 days) and complete flower opening (32.45 days). Overall, fertigation treatments markedly outperformed conventional soil fertilization in promoting growth, and flowering with plant response showing a positive and progressive improvement up to 175% RDF in Floribunda rose cv. Mirabel.