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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Washington, D.C. » National Arboretum » Floral and Nursery Plants Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #156243
Title: PRODUCTION OF HIGH QUALITY ARDISIA PLANTS BY VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION

Author
item Roh, Mark
item LEE, AE-KYUNG - DANKOOK UNIV, KOREA
item SUH, JEUNG-KEUN - DANKOOK UNIV, KOREA

Submitted to: Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/14/2004
Publication Date: 4/19/2005
Citation: Roh, M.S., Lee, A-K., Suh, J-K. 2005. Production of high quality Ardisia plants by vegetative propagation. Scienta Hort. 104:293-303.

Interpretive Summary: The genus Ardisia consists of more than 200 species A. crenata Sims. are most widely grown and has been mass produced by seeds. Ardisia has been produced primarily as an indoor foliage plant in the past. Plants typically flower in June and red or white berries are produced around September. When Ardisia are propagated by seeds, plants are not able to flower and produce berries for 2 to 3 years when seedlings are grown in a greenhouse maintained at 18.5o /18.0o C year-round. Only 25 percent of 2-year-old A. crenata seedlings flowered. Rooted stem tip cuttings from mature plants could be a useful production technique to bypass this non-flowering period. Rooting percentage at 45 days exceeded 76% 2,000 ppm IBA (rooting hormone) treatment. Rooted cuttings that form only vegetative shoots without flowers were used to produce plants with berries. About 50 percent rooted cuttings were forced to finish, producing 31 or 40 percent of high quality plants when rooted cuttings with vegetative shoots were grown at temperatures higher than 21/19C, day/night (D/N), greenhouse (GH) in 1995 or 21/18C GH in 1997, respectively. This is the first report of producing high quality A. crenata plants produced from rooted cuttings. This method shortened the total production time to less than 2 years as compared to 4 years when starting from seeds.

Technical Abstract: Commercially acceptable plants of Ardisia crenata were produced from stem tip cuttings. To produce commercially acceptable Ardisia plants, stem tip cuttings from mature plants were rooted and forced in greenhouses. Rooting percentage at 45 days exceeded 76% and was significantly increased by 2,000 ppm IBA treatment. Rooted cuttings developed into 3 types of plants: those forming only vegetative shoots without flowers, those forming reproductive shoots with flowers, and those forming both vegetative and reproductive shoots. The ideal plant produced only vegetative shoots when rooted cuttings were transplanted into pots. About 50 percent rooted cuttings were forced to finish, producing 31 or 40 percent of high quality plants when rooted cuttings with vegetative shoots were grown at temperatures higher than 21o/19oC, day/night (D/N), greenhouse (GH) in 1995 or 21o/18oC GH in 1997, respectively. This is the first report of producing high quality A. crenata plants produced from rooted cuttings. This method shortened the total production time to less than 2 years as compared to 4 years when starting from seeds.