Optimizing the growing media for hardening of in vitroraised plantlets of orchid (Dendrobium spp.)

Dendrobium orchid has ornamental, medicinal and economic importance in India and globally. The success of tissue culture raised plantlets’ growth mostly depends upon the growing media composition, especially in plants like orchids, where choosing the right growing media for acclimatization has greater influence on survival and growth of orchid. The present experiment was conducted on “Effect of different growing media on hardening of in vitro raised plantlets of orchid (Dendrobium spp.), ” with objective to standardize the protocol for hardening media for acclimatization of orchid plantlets. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design (CRD) and included five treatments consisting of various growing media, either individually or in combination, with four replications for each treatment. Among the different growing media subjected to hardening of healthy well rooted in vitrocultured plantlets of Dendrobium spp., highest survival rate (82.50 %) of plantlets, plant height (6.50 cm), number of roots per plantlet (7.75) and number of leaves (6.00) per plantlet were recorded in T₂ - coconut husk chips.