Division of Floriculture, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (Kashmir), Shalimar, Srinagar-191121, Jammu and Kashmir. e-mail: arvindersingh4601@yahoo.com.
Rhizomes of Alstroemeria cv. Pluto were planted under shade nets to study the effect of number of storage roots and benzyl adenine on growth and rhizome production parameters. Experimental treatments comprising of three levels of storage roots (S0= no storage roots, S1=1–2 storage roots, S2 = 2–4 storage roots) and four levels of benzyl adenine (B0=0 ppm BA, B1=20 ppm BA, B2=40 ppm BA, B3=60 ppm BA, respectively). The results revealed that maximum values in terms of percent sprouting (59.75%), percent established plants (63.52%), number of vegetative shoots (2.490), weight of the rhizome cluster per plant (13.25g), number of rhizomes developed (2.39), length of the longest rhizome (5.41cm), number of new storage roots (3.52), number of new fibrous roots (6.31) and propagation coefficient (31.73) were recorded with highest level (2–4) of storage roots (S2) tested in the study. As regards to benzyl adenine levels, 60 ppm BA (B3) recorded highest values in terms of percent sprouting (58.76%), number of rhizomes developed (2.02), length of the longest rhizome (5.55cm), number of new storage roots (3.19) and fibrous roots (6.14) per plant and propagation coefficient (24.61) over lower levels of BA tested in the study.
Alstroemeria, storage roots, benzyl adenine, clonal multiplication, rhizome production
