Abstract

  The insatiable demand for novel floral forms in the ornamental horticulture industry continues to drive the search for such plant species, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions such as South Africa. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Cycocel^®, a plant growth retardant, in manipulating growth and compactness in Leonotis leonurus, a plant with potential high ornamental value in the potted flower industry. Application of Cycocel^®, especially at a concentration of 4 mg/L significantly reduced both height and plant width of L. leonurus plants growing in a soilless hydro culture system. In addition, application of the growth retardant had a significant influence on increasing the shoot proliferation in L. leonurus plants. The number of new shoots produced in week 6 of the 8-week growing period was about threefold higher compared to the control. The reduction in height and width observed in the present study may be due to the interference with key enzymes involved in the gibberellin biosynthesis pathway. Overall, application of Cycocel^® had the desired effect in controlling growth parameters in L. leonurus plants, thereby improving compactness and enhancing its commercial value in the flowering potted plant market.

Keywords: Axillary Shoots; Cycocel®; Hydroponics; Ornamental Horticulture; Plant Growth Retardant

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Citation

Citation: Mack A Moyo., et al. “Dwarfing Responses of Leonotis leonurus (L.) R.Br. Lamiaceae Using Foliar Growth Regulator Applications to Induce Compactness in Flowering Potted Plants". Acta Scientific Agriculture 4.11 (2020): 23-29.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Mack A Moyo., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.