COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF SOME HEIGHT

CONTROL METHODS FOR PLECTRANTHUS COLEOIDES BENTH.

PLANTS
Manda Manuela, Nicu Carmen
1
Key words: Plectranthus coleoides; plant growth regulator; pot size; vegetative characters
SUMMARY
The plants reaction to the growth retardants application or to cultivation methods for
height reduction has been studied for many species, and the often contradictory results highlight the
plant reaction differences between species and even between the varieties within a species.
This study aims to control the height and to stimulate the ramification of the Plectranthus
coleoides Benth. !arginatus" plants by # methods: the chemical method $ application of growth
retardants %&ycocel'; cultivation method %non$chemical' ( )eeping the plants in small pots in order
to diversify the possibilities of use.
The application of &ycocel *.+, treatments for the Plectranthus coleoides stimulated the
vegetative growth, obtaining compact plants by increasing the average number of shoots-plant and
improving the decorative appearance of plants by a more intense coloration of the leaves. By
reducing the substrate volume, after . months of the e/periments placement, the plants maintained
their height as it was initially and in this case Plectranthus coleoides can be recommended to be used
in container gardens, mini gardens or even in vertical gardens, in different contrasting combinations.
INTRODUCTION
For obtaining plants in pots, the height control is often necessary to obtain the
desired plant height and shape (Chen & Meister 2006 Milandri et al 200!"# $he rapid rate
of gro%th, loss of its compact appearance and the lac&'delay of flo%ering pre(ent
sometimes the commerciali)ation of ornamental plants (*an&o & +andon 200,"#
-lthough the gro%th retardands are %idely used to control the plants height, there
are culti(ation methods (non.chemical" increasingly used in floriculture, such as/ %ater
stress, nutritional stress, &eeping plants in small pots, the temperature difference bet%een
day and night (01F", the 2uality and intensity of light (Nicu et al# 2003, Manda et al# 200!,
Ne4mith et al# 133!, *ailey 1331, +archer et al# 2011, North et al# 2010, +atimer 133!"#
Plectranthus +# 5er# is a large genus of the 0amiaceae family %idely distributed in
tropical regions of -frica, -sia and -ustralia (Codd 13!,, -scensao et al# 1333, -bdel.
Mogib et al# 2002, -nton 2006"# 4i6ty.t%o species of Plectranthus are reported to be of
1
Faculty of -griculture and 5orticulture, 7ni(ersity of Craio(a
economic and medicinal interest and some are gro%n as ornamental plants (-scensao et al#
1333, +u&hoba et al# 2006, 8horshid et al# 2010"# -s an indoor ornamental plant, it is
generally culti(ated in hanging pots, ha(ing long stems up to 1 m#
$his study aims to control the height and to stimulate the ramification of the P.
coleoides *enth. 9Marginatus: plants by 2 methods/ the chemical method . application of
gro%th retardants (Cycocel" culti(ation method (non.chemical" . &eeping the plants in
small pots in order to di(ersify the possibilities of use#
MATERIAL AND METHODS
$he initial biological material consisted of P. coleoides *enth. 9Marginatus:
cuttings, obtained from the Floriculture discipline collection of the Faculty of -griculture
and 5orticulture in Craio(a# 1t is a cro%ling herbaceous plant %ith purple succulent stems,
%hich are right at the begining, and then start bending and hanging, %ith persistent lea(es#
$he inflorescences ha(e large, rounded bracts and insignificant lilac tubular flo%ers# $he
9!arginatus9 (ariety . has cordiforme, pubescent, ,.; cm long, light green lea(es %ith a
%ide %hite margin and it is the (ariety most commonly gro%n in apartments in suspended
pots, ha(ing long stems up to 1 m#
$he research %as conducted bet%een 2011 and 2012 in the greenhouse of the
Floriculture discipline of the Faculty of -griculture and 5orticulture, a temperate
greenhouse, %ith a(erage temperatures ranging bet%een 1! and 20<C#
$here %ere used shoots cuttings har(ested in -pril 2011 from mature plants that
%ere treated %ith =adistim 1, a po%dery biostimulator specific to herbaceous plants, and
they %ere planted in a mi6ture of/ peat and perlite in a ratio of 1/2, and the substrate
temperature ranged bet%een 13 and 20<C# For >1, >2, >? the rooted cuttings %ere planted
in a 2/1 mi6ture of peat @ perlite in pots of different si)es (6, !, 10 cm diameter"# -t >A the
rooted cuttings %ere planted in pots of 10 cm (a si)e recommended in the literature" and ?
treatments at the soil le(el %ith Cycocel 0#?B (?000 ppm" %ere applied, starting on
26#0,#2011, at an inter(al of t%o %ee&s# $he follo%ing e6perimental (ariants resulted/ >1 .
diameter 6cm'%ater, >2 . diameter ! cm'%ater >? Mt . diameter 10cm' %ater >A C
diameter 10cm'Cycocel# For simplicity (ariants %ere noted as/ >1 . 6cm'%, >2 C ! cm'%
>? Mt . 10cm'% >A C 10cm'Cycocel#
For ; months after the e6periment placement there %as obser(ed the rate of
(egetati(e gro%th of P. coleoides plants, in terms of the culti(ation conditions#
$he obser(ations and measurements %ere underlining/ the a(erage plant height,
the a(erage number of shoots'plant, the a(erage length of shoots, the a(erage leaf si)e#
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
*y reducing the substrate (olume, there is found that after ; months from the
e6periments placement, the plants maintained their height at (alues close to the original
height, in comparison %ith the (ariant treated %ith Cycocel (>A.1!#A cm", %here after 2
months from the first treatment the plant height tripled, and after four months it reached
1!#A cm, in comparison to the original height of A#? cm (graph#1"#
$he plants gro%n in a small substrate (olume (>1 . 6cm'% and >2. ! cm'%" had a
slo% gro%th since their mo(ement in pots until the last measurement, the (alues range
bet%een A#, . ,#! cm (>1" and A#?, C ;#2 (>2"#
-t >1.6 cm'% and >2.! cm'%, the plants &ept a d%arf stature (,#! cm,
respecti(elly ;#2 cm" compared %ith >?.10 cm'%, %here they recorded higher (alues, of
1A#? cm at the end of the e6perimental period#
Note%orthy is the fact that by reducing the substrate (olume, after ; months from
the e6periments placement, the plants maintained their height at (alues closed to the
original ones, and in this respect P. coleoides *enth# may be included in the list of Dmini
plantsD#
1n graph# 2 there is obser(ed that the treatment %ith Cycocel 0#?B stimulated the
shooting (>A.2! shoots", obtaining plants %ith compact appearance in comparison %ith the
untreated (ariants, %here the a(erage number of shoots'plant ranged bet%een ? and 1!
shoots at the end of the e6perimental period#
$he lo%est (alues of the a(erage number of shoots'plant %ere recorded at >1.
6cm'%ater. three shoots, follo%ed closely by >2.!cm'% . 10 shoots# -t >1.6m'% there is
obser(ed e(en a decrease of (alues from the first to the last measurement (from ; to A
shoots"# -t >? Mt .10 cm'%ater the (alues increased significantly compared %ith the other
untreated (ariants, up to 1! shoots after ; months of the e6periment placement#
$he treatments %ith Cycocel 0#?B (>A", caused a dramatic increase in the a(erage
number of shoots, gi(ing the plant a compact appearance, this parameter being negati(ely
influenced by the reduction of the substrate (olume (>1, >2"#
=egarding the a(erage length of shoots, there %ere obtained the biggest
differences bet%een the (ariant treated %ith Cycocel (>A.1,#A cm" and the untreated ones
(>1, >2, >?" %ith (alues ranging from 1#! to ?#1 cm, from %hich it appears that the effect
of Cycocel treatments %as to stimulate the plant gro%th and not to reduce or maintain the
height (graph# ?"#
-s in the case of the a(erage plant height, the (alues of this parameter %ere close
to the (ariants gro%n in a reduced substrate (olume (>1.6cm'% and >2.!cm'%", ranging
bet%een 0#A and 1#! cm (>1" and bet%een 1 and 2#1 cm (>2" compared to >? Mt .10
cm'%ater %here there %ere recorded higher (alues (A#1 cm" after A months from the
e6periments placement#
$he mode of action of Cycocel in its inhibition of gibberellins is not totally
resol(ed# Ehile the maFority of the studies emphasise the ability of Cycocel to retard plant
gro%th only a fe% e6perimental %or&s ha(e sho%n that small doses of Cycocel solution can
significantly stimulate or increase gro%th (=eid & Cro)ier 13;0 GFeda & $rione 133A
apud -l.Mas&ari 133!"#
$he a(erage si)e of lea(es had ma6imum (alues also at the plants treated %ith
Cycocel (>A . 2#, cm long and 2#? cm %ide" and the lo%est (alues at >1.6cm'%ater (1,,
cm long, respecti( 1,2 cm %ide" follo%ed by >2.!cm'% and >?.10cm'% %ith (ery small
differences (graph# A"#
1n addition to the measurable parameters, there is noted that by the application of
Cycocel treatments the decorati(e appearance of plants %as impro(ed due to a sharp leaf
colour, due to the contrast %hite . deep green, the lea(es are healthy compared to the
untreated (ariants, characteri)ed by a softer colour and e(en the appearance of lea(es %ith
green.sic&ness at the end of the e6perimentation period#
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Hraph 1# $he a(erage height of Plectranthus coleoides IMarginata: plants
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Hraph 2# $he a(erage number of shoots'plant
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Hraph ?# $he a(erage lenght of shoots
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leaf w!"# (cm) leaf le$%"# (cm)

Hraph A# $he a(erage si)e of lea(es
CONCLUSIONS
$he presented data sho% that the treatments %ith Cycocel 0#?B at Plectranthus
coleoides determined a (egetati(e gro%th, plants %ith compact appearance by increasing
the a(erage number of shoots 'plant, especially in the first four months of e6perimentation,
then the character of pendent plant became (ery ob(ious because of the e6aggerated gro%th
in length of the shoots#
$he decorati(e appearance of plants %as impro(ed due to the sharp leaf colour, the
contrast %hite.deep green, the healthy lea(es, compared to the untreated (ariants,
characteri)ed by a softer colour and e(en the appearance of lea(es %ith green.sic&ness at
the end of the e6periment# $he reaction of plants to the treatments %ith Cycocel could be
considered an ad(antage for the situation %hen P. coleoides is gro%n in floral suspensions#
Ee recommend testing the culti(ation in pots of 6.! cm combined %ith the
application of up to ? treatments %ith Cycocel 0#1.0#2B (1000.2000 ppm", e(ery 2 %ee&s
for height control and for obtaining compact bush plants of Plectranthus coleoides
JMarginatus:#
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