Effect of varying light intensities on the growth and development of indoor foliage and flowering plants

Abstract

An investigation was carried out in the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during the year 1985-86 to find out the effect of various light intensities on the growth and development of the important indoor foliage and flowering plants such as aglaonea, aralia, alocasia, chlorophytum, coleus, cordyline, dieffenbachia, dracaena, maranta, peperomia, pleomale, rheo, balsam, begonia and verbena. The treatments consisted of five intensities of light as follows, Full sunlight 75,50, 25 and 10 per cent light. The experiment was laid in a Completely Randomised Design.Shading was provided by using gunny cloth streched over g.1 poles. Plant height increased with decrease in light intensities in most of the plants except in aralia, coleus, maranta, pleomele and aglaonema. In aglaonema the height of the plants were influenced by the treatments only at the initial growth stages. In other staller plants were produced under high light intensities. In general diminishing light intensities enhanced leaf production , leaf area and chlorophyll content in all plants except in coleus where leaf area increased with increase in intensities of light. Destruction of chlorophylll in the leaves of plants kept in the open as evidenced by the yellowish colour was not observed for those plants in shade.