Anatomization of dracaena for morpho-physiological attributes under hill zone of Karnataka

Introduction

Cut greens known as cut foliage or florist's greens are the vegetative parts of plants such as leaves and stems used for decorative purposes either alone or in association with flowers in bouquets and arrangements. These foliages are generally green in colour possess attractive form and texture along with a long-lasting freshness, which make them highly suitable as ornamental fillers. They are widely utilized in floral decorations for creating contrast background or lining thereby enhancing the overall appeal of floral arrangements. Dracaena belongs to the family Asparagaceae and is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. The genus comprises about 40 species, among which D. deremensis, D. fragrans, D. marginata, D. reflexa, D. sanderiana, D. colorama and D. massangeana are widely cultivated as foliage plants. These species are particularly favoured in the international market as cut foliage and as indoor ornamental plants due to their attractive shapes, diverse colours and ability to thrive under low-light conditions with minimum care (Chen et al., 2002) [2] . The ornamental foliage not only adds aesthetic value but also meets the growing demand of the floriculture industry for high-quality cut greens. Among the different cut foliage plants, Dracaena has gained immense commercial importance in the international florist greenery market due to its beautiful and varied foliage, low cost of production, year-round availability and versatile design qualities in terms of form, texture and colour (Gowthami et al., 2021) [4] . The foliage is highly valued for its adequate vase life, natural freshness and ability to provide an attractive appearance in flower arrangements. Along with asparagus, ferns and philodendron, dracaena is extensively used as a filler, lining and background material in bouquets and floral decorations. The leaves are usually harvested when they attain a length of about 75-85 cm ensuring uniformity and quality (Patil et al., 2020) [5] . Keeping the above points in view, the present investigation entitled performance studies on dracaena for its morphological attributes under shade house conditions was undertaken.

Material and methods

The experiment was carried out at the Department of

Experimental results

Significant variations were observed among the different Dracaena species for the growth parameters (Table 1). The plant height recorded maximum in Dracaena terminalis "Mahatma" (119.60 cm), followed by D. terminalis "Green" (114.56 cm), while the minimum was observed in D. terminalis "My Darling yellow" (49.20 cm). The leaf length was maximum in D. terminalis "Mahatma" (46.26 cm), followed by D. terminalis "Green" (45.00 cm) whereas, the minimum was observed in D. surculosa "Gold dust" (28.23 cm). Leaf width was recorded maximum in D. terminalis "Mahatma" (11.50 cm), which was statistically comparable to D. massangeana (10.00 cm), while the minimum was noticed in D. marginata "Green" (3.30 cm). Internodal length varied from 4.28 cm in D. terminalis "Mahatma" to 2.43 cm in D. marginata "Red". Petiole length was maximum in D. terminalis "Mahatma" (12.60 cm), followed closely by D. terminalis "Green" (12.32 cm), whereas no petiole was recorded in D. marginata "Green" and D. marginata "Red". Significant differences were recorded among the Dracaena species for plant spread, leaf area and leaf area index (Table 2). The maximum plant spread both in east-west (75.10 cm) and north-south (78.50 cm) directions was observed in Dracaena terminalis "Mahatma", followed by D. terminalis "Green" (74.23 cm and 76.70 cm, respectively), while the minimum was in D. sanderiana (46.23 cm and 45.21 cm, respectively). Leaf area per plant was maximum in D.

terminalis "Mahatma" (9798.66 cm²), followed by D. terminalis "Green" (8074.66 cm²), whereas the minimum was observed in D. reflexa (2927.00 cm²). Similarly, leaf area index per plant was maximum in D. terminalis "Mahatma" (15.66), followed by D. terminalis "Green" (14.92), while the minimum was recorded in D. reflexa (5.83). Significant differences were observed among the Dracaena species for chlorophyll and carotenoid contents (Table 3). The maximum chlorophyll "a" (0.99 mg/g fresh weight), chlorophyll "b" (0.56 mg/g fresh weight) and total chlorophyll (1.55 mg/g fresh weight) contents were recorded in D. terminalis "Green", while the minimum were recorded in D. marginata "Red" (0.55, 0.30 and 0.90 mg/g fresh weight, respectively). Carotenoid content was maximum in D. terminalis "Mahatma" (0.27 mg/g fresh weight) and minimum in D. marginata "Red" (0.09 mg/g fresh weight).

Discussion

Plant height, leaf traits, internodal length, plant spread, petiole length, leaf area and leaf area index (LAI), chlorophyll and carotenoid content showed significant variation among the evaluated Dracaena species. The variation observed across species could be attributed to differences in internodal elongation, leaf morphology and inherent genetic makeup, which in turn influence photosynthetic capacity, light interception and overall vegetative vigor. Similar interspecific differences have also been documented in Dracaena and related ornamental foliage crops by Rasheed et al. (2018) [7] , Santhosh et al.

(2017) [10] and Chandrashekar et al. (2016) [8] in Liliums, Gaurav et al. (2016) [3] , Patil et al. (2020) [5] , Rashmi et al.

(2016) [8] in gladiolus, Pratibha (2018) [6] , Roopa et al.

(2018) [9] in chrysanthemum and Suryapriya et al. (2015) [11] supporting the current findings.

Conclusion

The study revealed significant variation among Dracaena species for morphological traits, largely governed by genetic factors. Among the species evaluated, Dracaena terminalis "Mahatma" consistently demonstrated superior performance, exhibiting the tallest plants, largest leaves, greatest leaf area and highest leaf area index with higher photosynthetic efficiency highlighting its strong potential for commercial cut foliage production. In contrast, species such as Cordyline fruticosa and D. marginata "Red" exhibited comparatively lower performance across most parameters. The results showed that the critical importance of species selection in optimizing for commercial production of Dracaena under shade house conditions.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementThe facilities provided by college of Horticulture Mudigere are acknowledged by the writers.

References

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