Comparative studies on tissue cultured plantlets with the conventional method of tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.)

Abstract

Conventional (C) (Bulb propagated) plantlets were superior to tissue culture (TC) tuberose plants in terms of yield and income with better growth and yield parameters. The highest plant height (C-41.60 cm, TC-28.40 cm ), number of leaves (C-41.90 nos., TC-23.50 nos.), leaf length (C-35.23 cm, TC- 26.56 cm), leaf width (C-2 cm, TC-1.45 cm), leaf area (T-2874.80 cm2, TC-903.56 cm2), number of side shoots (C-9.56 nos., TC- 2.26 nos.) and yield attributes like spike length (C-96.20 cm, TC-78.02 cm), rachis length (C-31.06 cm, TC-23.50 cm), spike girth (C-3.64 cm, TC.- 3.14 cm), number of florets per spike (C-24 nos., TC-17.03 nos.), floret length (C-6.38 cm, TC-6.06 cm), floret diameter (C-3.63 cm, TC-3.20 cm), flowering duration (C-21.46 days, TC-20.33 days), single floret weight (C-1.10 g, TC-0.99 g), hundred florets weight (C-112.98 g, TC-87.06 g) were also significantly higher in conventional plants than tissue cultured plants. The highest number of bulbs (C-12.73 nos., TC-4.73 nos.), number of Bulblets (C-22.66 nos., TC-8.63 nos.), clump weight (C-595 g, TC-277 g), weight of bulbs (C-217.43 g, TC-127.73 g), weight of bulblets (C-164.86 g, TC-52.50 g), weight of individual bulb (C-54.13 g, TC-28.23 g), bulb length (C-52.20 mm, TC-22.53 mm), bulb width (C-42.06 mm, TC- 23.40 mm) was noted in plots raised with conventional bulbs and tissue culture plants. The number of days taken for flowering is also delayed in tissue culture plants (231days), which is almost twice the number of days taken for conventional plants flowering.