Increasing Stock Production of Two Herbaceous Perennials with the Application of Plant Growth Regulators

Abstract

The objective of these experiments was to evaluate the reaction of ‘Snow Angel’ coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea) and Orange Carpet hummingbird trumpet (Epilobium canum ssp. garrettii ‘PWWG01S’) to repeated foliar applications of three plant growth regulators at two application rates. The plant growth regulators applied during a stock plant study and followed by a propagation study were 200 and 400 ppm ethephon, 250 and 500 ppm benzyladenine, and 50 and 100 ppm gibberellic acid 4 and 7 (GA4+7) + benzyladenine. The stock plant study was conducted to assess the efficacy of plant growth regulators, vegetative growth (height and width growth index), the number of vegetative cuttings, as well as the fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW) of the harvested vegetative cuttings. The propagation study was conducted to determine the effects of the plant growth regulator treatments on the rooting of the vegetative cuttings. The stock plant study showed that GA4+7 + benzyladenine (50 and 100 ppm) significantly increased production of ‘Snow Angel’ coral bells cuttings compared with all other treatments. However, no significant differences in FW or DW were observed with ‘Snow Angel’ coral bells between treatments. In the propagation study, no significant difference in rooting percentage was observed after 4 weeks. The Orange Carpet hummingbird trumpet stock plant study resulted in a greater number of vegetative cuttings with GA4+7 + benzyladenine (50 and 100 ppm) and benzyladenine (250 ppm) treatments. Fresh weight of vegetative cuttings harvested from plants treated with GA4+7 + benzyladenine (50 or 100 ppm) were the lowest. The only treatment that showed increased vegetative cutting production with no effect on FW was benzyladenine (250 ppm) on Orange Carpet hummingbird trumpet.