Int. J. Bioinformatics and Biological Sci.: v.2 n.1&2, p. 41-53. March and June 2014

Effect of gibberellin and cytokinin on Sucker

Production and flowering of anthurium ( Anthurium

andraeanum Lind.) cv. Nitta in the Plains of West Bengal

Soumen maitra 1 * and Nilimesh Roychowdhury 2

1 Department of Floriculture, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Faculty of Horticulture,

UBKV, Pundibari, CoochBehar, West Bengal-736165, INDIA

2 Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan Chandra

Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal-741252, INDIA

*Corresponding author: Soumen Maitra, soumenmaitra@rediffmail.com

abstract

Greenhouse grown Anthurium ( Anthurium andraeanum Lind.) cv. Nitta plants

were treated with six different levels of plant growth regulators namely BA 500

ppm, BA 1000 ppm, GA ₃ 500 ppm, GA ₃ 1000 ppm, BA 250 ppm + GA ₃ 250

ppm and BA 500 ppm + GA ₃ 500 ppm and their effect on the sucker production

and flowering were compared against control (without application of plant growth

regulators). Plants treated with 1000 ppm BA recorded highest number of side-

shoots per plant (5.67), earliest flower bud initiation (253.83 days) and higher

post-harvest life of cut flowers (12.33 days). Control plants showed the earliest

spadix visibility (32.83 days) stage, longest spadix (4.17 cm) and reached the

blooming stage earlier (5.83 days) along with plants treated with BA 500 ppm.

GA ₃ 500 ppm treated plants produced the highest number of flowers per plant

(3.33) and spadix circumference (1.33 cm) however, the longest stalks (15.82

cm) and spathes (6.53 cm) were obtained from the plants treated with GA ₃ 1000

ppm and BA 250 ppm + GA ₃ 250 ppm respectively. Widest spathes (5.60 cm)

and maximum in-situ longevity of flowers (36 days) were obtained from the plant

growth regulator treatment BA 250 ppm + GA ₃ 250 ppm and monthly leaf number,

leaf length, leaf width and petiole lengths were fluctuated greatly with season and

stage of crop growth. BA 1000 ppm and a mixture of BA (250 ppm) and GA ₃ (250

ppm) was found better for growth, development, flowering, post-harvest life and

keeping quality of anthurium flowers.

Keywords : Anthurium, Anthurium andraeanum , plant growth regulator, cytokinin,

GA ₃

Anthurium andraeanum is an internationally accepted commercial flower. It

ranked 8 th in the list of top ten cut flowers in Dutch auction market in 2003 and

2004 (Satya and Maitra, 2007). Growth and development have profound influence