Effects of graded shade levels on the growth and quality of Cordyline fruiticosa variety ‘Purple Compacta’ in the Batticaloa district

Abstract

Cordyline fruticosa is a popular foliage plant and it has high demand in the export market. Shade influences the growth and quality of ornamental foliage plants. An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different shade level on the growth and quality of C. fruticosa var. ‘Purple Compacta’ in the Crop Farm, Eastern University, Sri Lanka. Graded shade levels were defined as treatments viz. 0% (T1), 50% (T2), 60% (T3), 70% (T4), and 80% (T5). The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. Recommended agronomic practices were followed uniformly for all treatments. Plant height, leaf area, and plant biomass were measured at monthly interval and quality of cuttings was assessed at 3 months after transplanting. Analysis of Variance was performed to determine significant difference among treatments (p < 0.05). Results revealed that plants grown at 50% shade level (T2) obtained significantly (p < 0.05) higher plant height, leaf area, plant biomass and biomass partitioning. In quality assessment, plants grown at 50% shade level received significantly (p<0.05) highest scores. Plants performance was lower in other treatments. It could be concluded that, 50% shade level is suitable for growing C. fruticosa var. ‘Purple Compacta’ in the Batticaloa district as the growth and quality of plants were higher.