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Volume 19(3), 77- 80, 2015
JOURNAL of Horticulture, Forestry and Biotechnology
www.journal-hfb.usab-tm.ro
Adapting the flower species Sparaxis tricolor to aquaponic
organic hydroponics
Moldovan Iulia-Adriana1*, Băla Maria1
1
st
Banat's University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine "King Michael the 1 of Romania" from
Timisoara, Faculty of Horticulture and Forestry)
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Abstract
In this study, we analyse the adaptability of the species Sparaxis
tricolor (Schneev.) Ker Gawl., a member of the Family Iridaceae, to the
conditions specific to floating shelf hydroponics starting from its natural
features that make it fit for this type of culture. A first argument is its origin –
Cape Floral Kingdom, South Africa – characterised by droughty summers and
rainy winters, where it can be cultivated in temperate areas by saving heating;
the second factor was its preference for moist soils rich in humus and the
possibility of cultivating it both in gardens and in pots – very important
features for a hydroponics culture characterised by a permanently moist soil.
Since we wanted a culture as close to nature as possible, we wanted to
integrate in it recycled materials that we used in our study in the making up of
a mechanic feeder for fishery species and as pots for the culture of Sparaxis
tricolor, which proved beneficial because the plants developed harmoniously
and produced many flowers.
The use of aquaponic in floricultural cultures
is a relatively recent practice particularly appreciated in
Taiwan, where organic culture on floating shelves has
been used with maximum profit to decorate public or
private institutions: this made us choose this cultivation
method and try to integrate it in the climate specific to
the city of Timişoara; the study was carried out in one
of the multiplying greenhouses of the “Young
Naturalists” Teaching Station of the Floriculture
Department of the Faculty of Horticulture and
Sylviculture within the Banat’s University of
Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King
Michael I of Romania” from Timisoara.
The success of this study relied on the ability
of the Genus Sparaxis sp. to be naturalised: it can be
found in a relatively restricted area along the Atlantic
coast in Cape Floral Kingdom, South Africa [2], a
region known for the beauty of its widespread
Geophytes flowers [4]; six of these species belong to
the Genus Sparaxis sp. [5].
Several factors related to the adaptation of the
plants to environmental conditions contribute to the
increased naturalisation ability of the species: the
development of a tuber-bulb, the development of a
replacement tuber-bulb, the appearance of bulbils on
the stem, and the adaptation of the plant to specific
pollination conditions.
The first adaptation of the plants to
environmental conditions was done through the
development of tuber-bulbs that allow plants to
vegetate during winter when low temperature and
increased precipitations stimulate germination and
Key words
Hydroponics,
Organic
hydroponics,
Aquaponic,
Iridaceae, Sparaxis tricolor
vegetative growth [7], followed by strong blooming in
spring and wintering during the hot, droughty season
[3]. This can be exploited in temperate climates where
bulbs can be forced, in early fall, to produce flowers in
winter or by maintaining the natural cycle (blooming in
spring) while saving electricity [3].
Upon tuber-bulb de-wintering, mature tuberbulbs [10] start sharing nutrient resources to new roots
and aerial parts and slow down nutrient storage in the
reproduction structures represented by replacement
tuber-bulbs. When the latter start developing, there is
competition between aerial parts and replacement
tuber-bulbs, a competition that is affected by
environmental factors.
When the plants grow on a poor soil there can
occur slow growth [1], which makes the plant direct its
energy to the replacement bulb; in other cases, when
the plants cannot rely on soil moisture and undergo
thermal stress, there is abortion of inflorescences: the
blooming process is replaced by bulbils at the basis of
the leaves (Figure 1, d).
Other important factors that act together with
the factors mentioned above and that determine the
quantity of nutrients available for the formation of new
vegetative organs are drought aggressiveness and the
presence of pollinating insects in spring [11].
Of all multiplication methods, the method of
the greatest interest when naturalisation features of a
species are aimed at is seed production. Thus, selfpollinating floricultural species with a high ability of
producing large numbers of fruits with high sprouting
rate seeds have the greatest chance to naturalise [9].
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From this perspective, the Genus Sparaxis sp. responds
best to this demand: it adapts seed germination to the
conditions specific to the rainy season ensuring an
increased germination rate.
Since Sparaxis tricolor has no smell and
produces little nectar, pollination is done, in its place of
origin, by beetles of the genera Anisonyx, Anisochelus,
Heterochelis, Khoina, Lepisia, Lepithrix, Pachycnema
and Peritrichia. These beetles manage to pollinate the
flowers of Sparaxis tricolor through the consumption
of anthers and pollen, which, during feeding, attaches
on the hairy body of the insect. To be more
conspicuous, the flowers have vivid colours – red,
orange and yellow – and the basis of the petals is
brown, brown and yellow, or yellow, the combination
with yellow being the most conspicuous [6, 8]. In
Romania, we prefer to multiply the plant through
tuber-bulbs, because multiplication through seeds is
tricky and is fit rather to improvement works.
Materials and Methods
A first step in establishing a culture of
Sparaxis tricolor was to choose a warm room to
manage to force the bulbs. The room chosen was one
of our own homes, where the bulbs stayed in a layer of
expanded clay constantly moisturised with water
between February 21, 2014 and March 28, 2014, when
they were introduced into the system.
The second step, more important than the first
one, was to purchase polystyrene boards and to settle
the culture proper. The boards were 3 cm thick, 100 cm
long and 50 cm wide.
We then made 25 conical holes in the
polystyrene board (5 cm Ø and 2 cm Ø) specially
adapted to the culture in recyclable plastic bottles
(Figure 1, a).
The processing technology of these recyclable
plastic bottles consisted in cutting them in two and
making holes in the filleted part to allow the roots to
get out of the pot and to ensure a better aeration of the
soil (Figure 1, b). The pot thus created was set in the
conical hole in the polystyrene board, in the water,
capped, to prevent the soil from leaking into the water.
.
Fig. 1. Aquaponic organic hydroponic culture on floating shelves: a) perforation of polystyrene boards, b) pots of
recycled plastic bottles, c) monitoring inflorescences through the leaves cover, d) details of bulbils of Sparaxis tricolor,
e) view of the culture of Sparaxis tricolor, e) detail of inflorescence of Sparaxis tricolor, g) wire kneading to support
plants and bulbils of Sparaxis tricolor (our own photos)
Results
To produce rich blooming, we tried to create
the natural growth conditions of Cape Floral Kingdom,
South Africa, observing the directions of the producer
who mentions that the proper period for the planting of
tuber-bulbils is March-April and that they should be
78
removed from the soil when the weather cools and
there is frost risk. This proved beneficial because the
tuber-bulbs sprouted roots in short time (February 21,
2014 – February 28, 2014) (Figure 2).
Fig. 2. Appearance of roots
Fig. 4. Length of floral stems
In parallel with root sprouting, there was also
leaf growing, a quick growth rate reaching, and a
month after leaf appearance, upon introduction into the
hydroponic system a length of 13 cm (Figure 3).
This sudden passage from high temperatures
specific to blocks of flats to low temperatures specific
to cold greenhouses proved beneficial because it
stimulated the appearance of the floral bud, visible,
three weeks after the introduction of the plants into the
system, through the leaf cover (Figure 1, e).
At that moment, because of the process of
imbibitions of the peat with water, there was gliding of
the bulbs and inclination of the entire plant since there
was no culture medium support. Though the vertical
growth mode was not affected (the plant had a straight
growth), with no undulated areas, we consider it is
necessary to introduce a cylindrical support of kneaded
wire around the plants to help the culture medium
support leaves and floral stems (Figure 1, g).
Maximum blooming was on May 5, 2014, for
one week, followed by wilting of all inflorescences on
May 21, 2014, and wilting of the entire plant on June 5,
2014.
The length of floral stems and of
inflorescences ranged between 8 and 10 cm (Figure 4
and Figure 5); the flowers were pink with a yellow
basis (Figure 1, f) or orange with a yellow basis.
Observations
Though Sparaxis tricolor proved to have a
spectacular blooming, with a good adaptability to high
Fig. 3. Plant height
Fig. 5. Length of inflorescences
moisture levels in the aquaponic system, we
recommend it for aquatic landscape compositions, for
the interior decoration of dwellings and public spaces
since it needs support: pants cannot keep vertical
because the species is best suited for commercial cut
flower culture where the ornamental factor consists in
floral stem and inflorescence and not the decorative
effect of the aquaponic system (and of the support).
We recommend the cultivation of Sparaxis
tricolor for cut flowers in an aquaponic system because
of the floral stems measuring between 8 and 10 cm and
of its vertical growth, with no undulation. Specimens
of Sparaxis tricolor have a good resistance to diseases
and pests and needed no special control measures, and
root consumption by the fish has no toxic effects
whatsoever on the animals.
Another advantage is plant resistance to a
deeply moist medium characterised by green moss that
seems to have no negative effect on them – an
extremely important feature since its removal would be
difficult because of the support.
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