Effect of foliar application of sodium nitroprusside on some morphophysiological characteristics of Alstroemeria aurea ‘Orange Queen’ under hydroponic conditions

In order to evaluate the foliar application of sodium nitroprusside on some morphological and biochemical properties of Alstroemeria cultivar Orange Queen, a research was conducted in a completely randomized design with 3 replications under hydroponic cultivation in the research greenhouse of Urmia University. Sodium nitroprusside was sprayed at concentrations of 0, 50, 100 and 200 μM. At the end of the study, indicators such as fresh and dry weight of florets and flowering stems, diameter of buds and flowering stems, bud length and some biochemical parameters including photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b and total), chlorophyll index, carotenoid content, soluble sugars and anthocyanin of leaves and petals were measured. The results showed that the application of sodium nitroprusside at concentrations of 100 and 200 μM, led to an increase in morphological parameters including fresh and dry weight of florets (75% increase compared to the control) as well as flowering stem, bud diameter and length and increasing of photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll a, b and total (33% increasing compared to the control. Also, sodium nitroprusside increased the amount of soluble sugar in the petals (38% increasing compared to the control and other treatments) and also the amount of leaf and petal anthocyanin compared to the control. In this study, 100 and 200 were more effective compare to the other treats. In general, the results showed that the application of sodium nitroprusside could have a significant effect on improving some biochemical properties in Alstroemeria due to its important role in cell division, development and growth.