GROWTH REGULATION BY TEMPERATURE PRETREATMENT OF AESCHYNANTHUS HYBRIDA STOCK PLANTS

The growth regulator "Alar" is taken into consideration for withdrawal from the Swedish market.
Therefore it is of great importance to find alternative methods for growth retardation.
Growing stock plants of Aeschynanthus in high temperature has been shown to have a strong retarding effect on shoot elongation of cuttings taken from the treated plants. Aeschynanthus hildebrandii has considerable commercial interest as a pot plant.
Danish hybrids of A. hildebrandii x A. speciosus are however even more valuable for the market.

This is true especially for the cultivars ‘Antares’ and ‘Rigel’. Plants from cuttings taken from stock plants pre-treated in high temperature were more compact and uniform and also flowered earlier.
The bedding plant Asteriscus maritimus ‘Gold Coin’ was shown to react in a similar way as Aeschynanthus concerning shoot elongation.
Flowering however was delayed several days for cuttings taken from stock plants kept at 18°C compared with those kept at 15°C.

First European Workshop on Thermogenesis and Photomorphogenesis in the Cultivation of Ornamentals

H.K. Schüßler

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1992.305.7