Abstract:
The Rhynchoglossum gardneriis a small genus in the family Gesneriaceae native
to Sri Lanka. This is wild flora but has aesthetic foliage and flowering structure.
This research study was conducted as two experiments. This study was
conducted to evaluate the effect of different potting media and propagation
methods on the growth and development of R. gardneri. Four different potting
media including Leaf mold + Sand (1:1), Leaf mold + Topsoil + Sand (1:1:1),
Coir pith +Sand (1:1) Clay and two propagation methods including Stem-cutting
propagation and Leaf-cuttings propagation were used for growing R. gardneri.
At present no study has been done on suitable potting media and, propagation
methods for enhancing the growth of R. gardneri. The experiment was laid out in
Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with five replicates. It was found that
potting media (p>0.05) significantly affected the number of leaves number of
axillary branches, the average height of plants per week, the number of roots, the
average length of roots, and, the fresh weight of the plant after one month
removing of propagators. The number of leaves was reduced significantly in
stem-cuttings plants and leaf-cutting plants also reduced. The number of
auxiliary branches was reduced significantly in stem-cuttings plants and leaf
cutting plants also reduced. The average height of shoots was reduced
significantly in stem-cuttings plants and leaf-cutting plants also reduced. The
number of roots was reduced significantly in stem-cuttings plants and leaf
cutting plants also reduced. The average length of roots was reduced
significantly in stem-cuttings plants and leaf-cutting plants also reduced. Fresh
weight was reduced significantly in stem-cuttings plants and leaf-cutting plants
also reduced. Coir pith + Sand (1:1) for stem-cuttings and Leaf mold + Topsoil +
Sand (1:1:1) for leaf- cuttings can be recommended for improving the yield and
growth of Rhynchoglossum gardneri plants.
