Effect of time of application and amounts of mammalian sex hormone progesterone and gibberellic acid on the growth of Zinnia elegans

Abstract

Palabras clave: órgano aéreo, índice de área foliar, AG, planta ornamental. Abstract The use of animal sex hormones in plants does not have a long history, but the presence of these hormones in plants has been proven. The aim of the research was to investigate the effects of gibberellic acid and progesterone on growth and development of Zinnia elegans flower in a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three factors considering three replications. The first factor included application times (pre-sowing, four-leaf stage and two months after sowing), the second factor was progesterone rates (0, 5 and 10 mg·L) and three gibberellic acid rates (0, 100, and 200 mg·L). The measured traits were dry weight and fresh weight of aerial organ and root, number of nodes, number of flowers, number of buds, number of branches and leaves, the distance from the crown to the first leaf, the distance from the crown to the first branch, plant height, chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll and leaf area. Results showed that the highest fresh weight of aerial organ and root, maximum number of nodes, flower number, bud number, branch number, the highest plant height and the highest content of chlorophyll a occurred two months after planting. Overall, 10 mg·L progesterone had the best effects on the traits. The maximum leaf area was obtained by applying 5 mg·L two months after sowing.