PROSPECTS OF CULTIVATION OF SPECIES OF THE GENUS EUSTOMA L. IN CLOSED SOIL BY CUT
Authors: Vdovenko Serhii 
Published: January 2024

The article presents the results of research on the cultivation of Eustoma L. plants in closed soil on various substrates. As a result of cultivation, their influence on the passage of the main phenological phases of plant growth and development was established, and data on the effect of substrates on plant height and flower diameter of different varieties were also given. Four substrates were used in the study, namely: Domoflor; Compo; Peatfield; Generous land and studied seven varieties of Eustoma: Aurora, Echo, Heidi, Flamenco, Mermaid, LittleBell, Florida Pink. It was established that growing Eystoma L. plants on substrates increases the duration of flowering from 3.39% to 8.96%, and accelerates flowering by several days. Flower size is a characteristic feature of Eustoma species. The larger its size, the more optimal are the growing conditions. Most varieties of Eustoma were characterized by the formation of flowers with a relatively large diameter. As a result of growing the Echo and Florida Pink varieties, the diameter of the flower was the smallest and was only 5 cm, which was inferior to the diameter of the flower of the Aurora variety by 3 cm, or by 37%. Insignificant increase in flower diameter relative to the Echo and Florida Pink varieties, but smaller than the Aurora variety, was found in the Echo, Heidi, Mermaid and LittleBell varieties. In the indicated variants, the flower diameter was at the level of 6-7 cm. The Flamenco variety was characterized by a large flower size and a similar diameter relative to the control. The flower diameter of this variety was 8 cm. The use of the Compo substrate for growing tall flowers gave the highest plant height indicator, which was 98 cm (+18.8%), and in low plants 15.3 cm (+15%) compared to the substrates: Domoflor - 89.5 cm (+8, 5 %) for tall varieties and 14.3 cm (+7.5 %) for short varieties, Peatfield - 91.2 cm (+10.6 %) for tall varieties and 14.3 cm (+7.5 %) for low-growing varieties, and on the Shchedra Zemlya substrate, the plant height index was 88 cm (+6.6%) for tall flowers and 14.3 cm (+7.5%) for low-growing varieties. Experiments have established that the substrate does not have a significant effect on the diameter of the flower, with the exception of the Compo substrate. In the specified variant, in general, an increase of the investigated indicator was established by +2.1%, in other substrates, the indicator increased only by +0.76%. Despite the different plant heights, the number of peduncles and buds on the recorded plants was almost the same. Their total number was in the range of 25-34 pcs. Eustoma Echo and Heidi varieties were characterized by the largest number of buds. In these variants, the total number of buds was 33 pcs. Flamenco, Mermaid and LittleBell varieties were characterized by the same number of buds. As a result of the cultivation of Floridfa Pink variety, the number of buds was the smallest and amounted to only 25 pcs. For the use of substrates, the Compo substrate was characterized by the best indicators, in which, on average, 1 more bud was established on the plants than in the control (+3.5%), other substrates had slightly lower indicators of an increase in the number of buds, where their value ranged from (1- 2%).