Omolbanin Azarmi Movafagh, Shahram Sedaghathoor and Behzad Kaviani
Honesty plant (Lunaria annua L.) is endemic to southeastern of Europe and west Asia that is sown as an ornamental plant in the most countries of Europe and North American. An experiment was accomplished to study the effect of some media and sowing date on the growth indexes of honesty plant. This trial carried out as split plot test based on complete randomized block design with tow factors and three replicates. Sowing date on three levels was including: a1) 23rd September, a2)23rd October, a3)23rd November and Sowing beds was including: b1) garden soil, b2) "garden soil + perlite", b3) garden soil + Azolla compost, b4) "garden soil + tea wastes". Some growth parameters such as germination, length and width of leaf, height, number of leaf, time of flowering, time of ripening and time of fruit drying in this plant were measured. Results showed that the longest length of leaf was obtained under "soil + tea wastes" compound and the shortest length of leaf was obtained under "soil + perlite" medium. Interaction of sowing date and beds on the width of leaf showed that the widest leaf was produced under sowing "October × soil + tea wastes" and the lowest width was produced in "September sowing × soil + perlite". Also the highest plant and the maximum leaf number were obtained under "soil + tea wastes" medium in September sowing treatment.