The occurrence of bent necks in cut roses (Rosa hybrida) in Uganda

Abstract

The cut rose is the number one selling ornamental in the world. Quality of a cut rose stem is dependent on stem, leaf, and flower bud parameters. One of the factors that can lead to rejection of a cut rose in the market is the occurrence of a bent neck. This phenomenon can occur at preharvest or postharvest. The objective of this study was to provide clues on the basis for the occurrence of bent necks in cut roses in Ugandan flower farms. Data was collected from two separate flower farms. The factors investigated included: cultivar, plant age, bed position within the greenhouse, and plant position within a bed. Parameters studied were total plant shoot number, number of shoots with normal flowers, number of shoots with bent necks, stem length, internode number, flower bud diameter, and direction in which the bent neck was pointing. Results from this study show that 1) bent neck is caused by an interaction in both age and cultivar, 2) bent neck has no effect on other the quality parameters of rose crop 3) bent neck is not oriented in any specific direction. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that bent neck formation in roses is dependent on both crop age and cultivar.