Effects of discarded cheese-whey amended substrate on growth and flowering of different snapdragon cultivars (Antirrhinum majus L.)

Abstract: The recycling of organic waste as a feedstock for the plant use emerges to be an eco-friendly process for the production of various fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops. Cheese-whey has very short shelf life, therefore, in the present study the wasted cheese-whey is used as organic material to observe its effect on ornamental plant. In this study, seven commercial cultivars of snapdragon (Magic Carpet, Antiquity Sunset, Day and Night, Chuckles, Illumination, Madame Butterfly, and Twilight) were planted in pots containing either (1) 1:3:1 ratio of sand, peat-based compost, and perlite substrate (control), or (2) 1:3:1 ratio of sand, peat-based compost, and perlite substrate, which was amended by adding 200 mL per pot cheese-whey. These pots were placed in a glasshouse, under ambient environment. The layout of the experiment was two-factorial completely randomized design with six replicates. All plant growth and flowering parameters were significantly (P?0.05) affected by substrates. Snapdragon cultivars grown in cheese-whey amended substrate displayed maximum plant height, number of leaf per plant, leaf area, leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, specific leaf weight, and leaf area ratio. Comparing the cultivars, it was observed that the cultivar Day and Night had maximum days to flowering, plant height, number of leaf per plant, leaf area, leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight, specific leaf weight, and leaf area ratio. The interaction of the both factors indicated that all snapdragon cultivars had significantly promising results when grown in cheese-whey amended substrate compared to control plants.