The aim of this study was to evaluate the production and quality of floral buds of rose cv. Vega (Rosa sp.) cultivated underneath a plastic film used as greenhouse covering, with different years of use. In order to evaluate the bud production and quality, 15 greenhouse gaps with plastic covering dating from 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, were selected; and the control covering (never used before) with three replications each. Two types of evaluation were made for this analysis: the first one, the fruits were harvested by means of pruning (as the commercial use standard procedure); in the second evaluation a clear cut pruning was conducted in an area of 1m² with the purpose of determining the development of the flower buds from the pruning to the commercial flower stalk. On the first evaluation, 4 harvestings were conducted during the entire experiment period, in which 4 flower stalks per treatments were collected, totaling 60 flowers per collecting date. On the second evaluation, floral buds emerging on new shoots were determined in four different dates until commercial flower stalks complete formation was achieved, then 13 flower stalks per treatment were collected. There was no statistical difference among the plastic films with different years of use regarding stalk length and diameter, flower bud diameter and length, dry and fresh petal mass under the analyzed conditions and cultivars, translating into a larger period of plastic covering use without loss in the production at a low production cost.
Florist; flower rose production; greenhouse; plastic covering; Rosa sp
