Growth curve model for analyzing the effects of Calcium foliar feed on the wilting rate of post-harvest rose flowers

Abstract

Cut rose flowers contribute to the economy and development of the export markets for several developing countries. Despite this contribution, profitable production of rose flowers is limited by wilting which leads to lower production. This paper aims to investigate the effects of Calcium foliar feed on the wilting rate of post-harvest rose flowers using the Growth Curve Model.This method was applied to the data consisting of wilting scores on five treatment groups. The Likelihood ratio test was used to test the growth curve and the equality of the growth curves in all groups.Results revealed that the expected growth curves for all groups followed different quadratic functions. The results also revealed that the wilting rate increased with the increase of calcium concentration compared to the control. This leads to a useful model for policy-makers or further analyses.