THE INFLUENCE OF SELECTED GROWTH REGULATORS ON DEVELOPMENT, DECORATIVE VALUE AND YIELD OF CORMS OF EASY POT FREESIA (Freesia Eckl. ex Klatt). PART II. ETHEPHON

Abstrakt

Ethylene is a plant hormone which play an important role in regulation of physiological plant processes. However, use of ethylene for practical purposes is restricted by its multilateral activity. Experiments were carried out in the years 2006–2007, in summer-autumn period to evaluate the influence of concentration of ethephon solution (125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000 mg dm^-3) on growth, flowering, decorative value and yield of the offspring corms of three cultivars of Easy Pot Freesia: ‘Gompey’, ‘Popey’ and ‘Suzy’ grown from cormlets. Soaking corms in ethephon solution had an effect on the delay of germination and prolongation of vegetative phase. Corms soaked in ethephon solution of the highest concentrations, i.e. 1000 and 2000 mg dm^-3 did not blossom. Regardless the cultivar the use of ethephon had an effect on the decrease of number of leaves set on main shoot and greenness index of leaves but also on the increase of number of shoots. The
concentration 2000 mg dm^-3 showed the strongest effect on the vegetative traits of plants. Ethephon affected also decorative value of freesia. The use of ethephon solution in concentrations of 125, 250 and 500 mg dm^-3 had an effect on the decrease of length of main inflorescence shoot, and in concentrations of 125 and 250 mg dm^-3 caused the increase of number of flowers in first inflorescence. Soaking corms in ethephon solution had an effect on the increase of coefficient of corm number increase but also on the decrease of coefficient of corm weight increase.