PROPAGATION OF LIPSTICK PLANT (Aeschynanthus radicans) FROM VEGETATIVE AND SEED IN DIFFERENT POTTING MIXTURES TO ENHANCE THE GROWTH

Abstract

The lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicarzs) is an ornamental flowering plant. In the local and international tropical plant markets, the species Aeschynanthus radicans has a high economic value as a flowering hanging pot plant for both indoor and outdoor decoration. The experiment was conducted to study the effect of the potting media on the propagation of the lipstick plant from vegetative plant parts and seeds in the Royal Botanic Garden Peradeniya during the period of January 2023 to April 2023. The experiment was laid out in a Complete Randomized Design with three experiments and each experiment had five treatments. Experiment one is cutting propagation with leaf mold: partly burnt paddy husk: sand in 1:1:1, 2:2:1,1:2:1, and 2:1:1 ratio. Experiment two is leaf propagation with leaf mold: partly burnt paddy husk: sand in 1:1:1, 2:2:1, 1;2:1,and 2:1:1 ratio. Experiment three is seed propagation with leaf mold: partly burnt paddy husk: sand in 1:1:1, 2:2:1, 1:2:1, and 2:1:1 ratio. In cutting propagation, the media of leaf mol d, partly burnt rice husk, and sand in a 2:2:1 ratio on the lipstick plant increased the number of shoots, number of leaves, and root length in comparisons to other media. In seed propagation, the media of leaf mold, partly burnt rice husk, and sand in a 1 :1 : 1 ratio on the lipstick plant increased seed germination, number of leaves, plant height, number of roots, root length, and fresh weight when compared to other ratio media. There was no significant difference in the leaf propagation. Further, this finding is very important for the development of future floriculture industries in Sri Lanka through developing diverse varieties of plants through cross-pollination. The significance of this finding is that the partially burnt paddy husk can be used as a growing medium in the future floriculture industry.