EFFECT OF SOME POST-HARVEST TREATMENTS ON UNROOTED CUTTING OF DRACAENA MARGINATA

This study was carried out at the Post-harvest Lab. of Ornamental Plants and Landscape Gardening Res. Dept., Hort. Res. Inst., Giza, Egypt during the two seasons of 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of GA3, BA, 8-HQC, CA and Sug. as the preservative solution to improve the quality of the unrooted cutting, delaying leaf wilting, leaf yellowing and extending the shelf life period of unrooted cutting of Dracaena marginata. The results revealed that, the treatment of the solution containing the GA3 at 50 ppm + BA at 20 ppm + 8-HQC at 300 ppm + CA at 300 ppm + Sug. at 2%, followed by the solution containing GA3 at 50 ppm + BA at 20 ppm + CA at 300 ppm + Sug. at 2% significantly increased the water uptake, water balance, general appearance, vase life, chlorophyll a, b, carotenoids and total carbohydrates. It also reduced the amount of water loss in all days compared to other treatments. It can be recommended that holding unrooted cutting of Dracaena marginata in a solution containing GA3 at 50 ppm + BA at 20 ppm + 8-HQC at 300 ppm + CA at 300 ppm + Sug. at 2%, followed by the solution containing GA3 at 50 ppm + BA at 20 ppm + CA at 300 ppm + Sug. at 2% to improve quality and giving longer vase life was reached 50 days.