Evaluation of growth promoters on the rooting and in vitro growth of Philodendron xanadu

Abstract

For transplanting into substrate, the plants must have a well-developed root system that will facilitate their adaptation; for which they must be cultivated in a special medium that promotes rooting. The objective of the research was to evaluate the effect of 3-indolbutyric acid (IBA) and 3-indoleacetic acid (IAA) to determine the most suitable auxin and the concentration for the rooting and growth of Philodendron xanadu shoots. Philodendron shoots without roots, obtained by direct organogenesis under in vitro conditions, were used. Four concentrations of IBA and four concentrations of IAA (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg L⁻¹) were evaluated, and a control without auxins was included; Murashige & Skoog (MS) (1962) culture medium was used. The experimental design was completely randomized with five repetitions per treatment and a factorial arrangement of treatments. Plant height, number of leaves, relative chlorophyll content number and length of root were evaluated. The results indicated that the culture medium with IAA was not adequate for rooting of the shoots of this species. In contrast, the MS culture medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L⁻¹ of IBA was the most appropriate to promote the rooting of P. xanadu shoots in 17 days, where 6.6 roots per shoot were obtained, with 6 cm length, as well as plants 4.1 cm, with 9.8 leaves and more chlorophyll (36.6 SPAD units); therefore, it is suggested to use this concentration of IBA to root shoots in mass propagation of Philodendron.