A research on landscape performance of Lupinus varius and its after-effect on Zinnia elegans in planting rotation

In this study, the effects of natural sourced inoculation and plant spacing on the landscape performance of Lupinus varius and the after-effect of planting rotation with L. varius on growth and flowering characteristics of Zinnia elegans were investigated. The study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the effects of natural sourced inoculation (as in inoculated and uninoculated) and plant spacing (15x15 cm regular, 20x20 cm regular and 20x20 cm triangular sowing) on growth and flowering characteristics of L. varius were determined and the landscape performance of each treatment was compared by using the weighed ranging method. In the second stage, growth and flowering characteristics of Z. elegans were observed to determine the effects of standard fertilization and planting rotation with L. varius as a new alternative to fertilization while the landscape performances were compared by using weighed ranging method. As a conclusion, it was determined that inoculation treatment was not effective on the growth performance of the plants growing in a medium with low organic content. Number of flowers was 82.5 in total for uninoculated plants while 60.4 for inoculated ones. The optimum planting space for L. varius as a bedding plant was determined as 15x15 cm (regular) which has the highest number of flowers per unit area (2255.32 flowers/m2). Planting rotation and fertility treatments had a significant effect (p≤0.01) on landscape performance of Z. elegans and the highest number of flowers in total (60.06) were accomplished by Z. elegans planted to the field following cultivation of L. varius with a sowing space of 15x15 cm (regular) after natural sourced inoculation. Also, the number of flowers in total of Z. elegans planted to the field applied with urea fertilizer (at a N rate of 20g/m2) was 54.46.