Growth and flowering of scorpion orchid to growing medium and light quality

Scorpion orchid (Arachnis maingayi) Hook.f.
Schltr is prized for its beautiful durable cut florets.
Paucity of information on the best growing medium and light quality for optimum growth and flowering limits its production in many countries.
A greenhouse experiment laid out in a randomized complete block design fitted into a factorial arrangement with three replicates was conducted to examine the best growth medium (topsoil, charcoal and rice husk) for scorpion orchid under different light qualities.
Light qualities were attained through light filtering using blue (400-500 nm), red (600-700 nm) shade cloths and without shade cloth (control). ‘Scorpion’ orchid grown on rice husk produced the highest number of spikes (4 spikes plant^-1) while those grown on topsoil produced the least (2 spikes plant^-1). Number of days to spiking, spike length, number and size of florets was not significantly affected by growing medium.
Plants grown under 400-500 or 600-700 nm light quality were significantly (p<0.05) superior to those grown without shade net (control) with regards to vegetative growth and flowering variables.
Rice husk medium combined with 400-500 or 600-700 nm light regime is recommended for the propagation of scorpion orchid in the humid tropics.

III All Africa Horticultural Congress

O.M. Olosunde, I.O.O. Aiyelaagbe, L.A. Hammed

shade cloth, (Arachnis maingayi) Hook.f. Schltr,.micro-environment

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2018.1225.21