The rose is the most popular among all the flowers, due to the diversity of growth habit, form of flowers and colors. Grown globally, Pakistan is trying to develop commercial level business with this major crop. According to a recent survey, the growing of cut roses in the province of Punjab utilises 526 ha land and almost 10 to 12 thousand tonnes of product of floriculture, including roses, are produced.

The management of nutrients to a great extent affects rose quality, but in Pakistan's soils a deficiency of organic matter and accessible phosphorus is a common problem, which limits its growth. Foliar application of plant growth regulators, micronutrients and vitamins is a second source of curing nutrient deficiencies that cannot be healed by soil.

Different extracts have been used in plants for centuries due to their beneficial effects on plant health, and several reports has proved that extracts used on plant foliage for control the diseases and their growth and production have proven to be beneficial. The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is an evergreen plant that belongs to the family Theaceae, and is an important agriculture product.

Due to the presence of variety of beneficial compounds, it considered helpful for providing essential nutrients and growth regulators.

A study was designed by the University College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha to explore the natural growth stimulating effect of tea seed extract on plant growth, yield and quality of different cultivars of rose found in Pakistan. Different doses of tea seed extract were applied as a foliar spray on rose plants with five days intervals.

In the study, morphological (i.e. number of leaves, leaf area, plant fresh weight, plant dry weight) and physio-biochemical parameters (i.e. photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, water use efficiency, stomatal conductance, total chlorophyll contents) showed significant result with foliar application of tea seed extract for different varieties of roses but 150ml/L of tea seed extract showed best result as a growth enhancer.

The overall performance of tea seed extract was reliable and good for use as a commercial natural plant growth stimulator, which can both increase or decrease the growth of plant depending on the applied dose and varieties.

Source: University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan