PENNISETUM VILLOSUM R. Br. ex Fresen. – EXOTIC SPECIE ADDAPTED TO CROPPING CONDITIONS FROM N E AREA OF ROMANIA
PENNISETUM VILLOSUM R. Br. ex Fresen. – SPECIE EXOTICĂ ADAPTATĂ LA CONDIłIILE DE CULTURĂ DIN N E ROMÂNIEI
CHELARIU Elena-Liliana1 e mail: [email protected]
Abstract. In the current paper are presented aspects regarding cultivation for ornamental purposes of specie Pennisetum villosum, in pedo climatic conditions from Ia i County, Romania. Research aimed to establish a suitable substrate for obtaining planting material from seeds and the behaviour in cropping conditions of the obtained biological material. Were utilised for substrate the following variants (V1 – garden soil, V2 peat, V3 – 1 part garden soil + 2 parts peat + 0.5 parts sand, V4 jiffy pots). The best results regarding seedlings production were obtained at variant V3. In crop at variants V3, V2 and V1 were obtained the most representative results, which are very close as value. Key words : Pennisetum villosum, ornamental grasses, Ia i
Rezumat. În această lucrare sunt prezentate aspecte privind cultivarea în scop ornamental a speciei Pennisetum villosum, în condiŃiile pedoclimatice din judeŃul Ia i, România. Cercetările au avut ca scop stabilirea unui substrat corespunzător pentru producerea materialului săditor din seminŃe i comportarea în cultură a materialului biologic obŃinut. S au utilizat patru variante de substrat (V1 pământ de grădină, V2 turbă, V3 – 1 parte pământ de grădină + 2 părŃi turbă + 0,5 părŃi nisip, V4 jiffy pots). Rezultatele cele mai bune privind producerea răsadurilor s au obŃinut la variantă V3. În cultură la variantele V3, V2 i V1 s au obŃinut cele mai reprezentative rezultate, fiind apropiate ca valoare. Cuvinte cheie: Pennisetum villosum, ierburi ornamentale, Ia i
INTRODUCTION Genus Pennisetum L. C. Rich. is part of Poaceae botanic family and includes around 80 tropical and subtropical perennial species (http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/taes/tracy/610/pennisetum.html ). Specie Pennisetum villosum R. Br. ex Fresen. is a specie with origin in North East of Africa and Arabic Peninsula, naturalized in United States of America and Australia, in semiarid and arid subtropical areas (http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/Gbase/data/pf000307.htm ). In Europe specie is frequently meet in the West of Mediterranean area and in Portugal, being naturalized in Italy and Azores Islands (Damanakis M, Yannitsaros A., 1986). Is cultivated in ornamental purposes in Greece (Damanakis M, Yannitsaros A., 1986),
1 University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Ia i, Romania
239 Ethiopia, South Africa and in United States of America (http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/Gbase/data/pf000307.htm ), China, especially as annual plant (Wu Ju Ying et al., 2009). Specie has the shape of a compact bush, with a height of 40 75 cm and a diameter of 30 50 cm. Leave are linear, thin and with an intense green colour. Flowers are white yellow, grouped in panicles. It blooms from June July till late in autumn. Prefer sunny or semi shadowed lands, sandy soils and well drained. It tolerates the drought periods and air pollution. It doesn’t support the excess of moisture (Ardle J., 2007). Species of genus Pennisetum could multiply through seeds or in a vegetative way by division of bushes (Wu Ju Ying et al., 2009 ). The current paper aimed to enlighten some aspects regarding multiplication and cultivation of Pennisetum villosum (feathertop) for ornamental purposes, in the pedo climatic conditions Ia i County, Romania.
MATERIAL AND METHOD The studied material was represented by specie Pennisetum villosum (fig. 1a). The utilised seeds for establishing the crops were gathered at Botanical Garden from Barcelona, Spain. Research was carried out in 2012, in didactic collection of Floriculture discipline from UASVM Ia i, Romania. Experience was organized in four variants with four different substrate types (table 1). Sowing was realised on 10th of February 2012 and establishment of crops was realized on 10 th of May 2012. The effectuated observations were focused on aspects regarding obtaining of seedlings (germination rate of seeds, the necessary period from sowing to the end of plants’ emergence, growing dynamics of seedlings), and the behaviour in crop, in pedo climatic conditions of Ia i County, of Pennisetum villosum specie. The obtained results were statistically processed and compared. Table 1 Experimental design Biologic Specie Variant Substrate for sowing material V1 garden soil Pennisetum V2 peat seeds villosum V3 garden soil + peat + sand (1:2:0,5) V4 jiffy pots
a) Mother plant (original) b) seeds (original) Fig. 1 Pennisetum villosum
240 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS At the end of the research it could be observed that at specie Pennisetum villosum the rate of germinated seeds varied between 50% and 100%, the best results being recorded at variant V3 (1 part garden soil + 2 parts peat + 0.5 sand), and the weak ones at variant V4 (jiffy pots) . In the case of variants V1 (garden soil) and V2 (peat) were recorded intermediary values, 75% respectively 85% (fig. 2).
% 100 100 Variants 90 85 80 75 70 60 50 50 40 30 20 10 0 V1 V2 V3 V4
Fig. 2 Germination percentage (%) Also was observed that between variants appeared differences regarding the necessary period of time for emergence. So, at variants V1, V2 and V3 emergence occurred after 7 days from sowing and at variant V4 after 14 days (fig. 3). Necessary time for complete emergence, calculated from sowing, was of 31 days at variant V3, 32 days at variant V2 and 34 days at variant V1. In the case of variant V4 were necessary 42 days from sowing till emergence ends (fig. 3).
V4 14 28
V3 7 24
V2 7 25
V1 7 27
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 no. days
time period till emergence starts time period till emergence ends
Fig. 3 Time period for emergence start and complete emergence (nr. of days from sowing) Table 2 Morphological features of seedlings planted in experimental field Mean number of Mean length of roots Plant mean Mean n r. of Variant roots/pl (cm) height (cm) leaf/plant V1 7,5 16,9 50,8 8.1 V2 8,0 16,8 51,1 8.3 V3 8,0 17,4 52,4 8.5 V4 4,2 9,3 21,3 6.3
241 The utilised seedlings for establishing the crops had different characteristics function of experimental variant (table 2, fig. 4).
60 cm 55 51,152,4 50 49,349,9 50,8 47,747,948,3 49,1 45 44,144,945,5 40 36,936,637,8 35 30 28,829,229,8 25 20,921,3 20,4 21,3 20 19,4 18,8 19,5 15,9 15 14,1 13,413,9 12,3 10 10,310,110,7 10,1 8,27,98,8 8,9 5 5,75,46,1 5,8 3,3 1,81,62,8 0 0 1,3
12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 7 4 2 0 7 4 0 6 3 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 1
Fig. 4 Growing dynamics of seedlings at Pennisetum villosum
V1a V1b V2a V2b
V3a V3b
V4a V4b Fig. 5 Seedlings at 10.05.2013; a – with soil bolus; b – without soil bolus (original) 242 The data regarding growing of seedlings (recorded at the last observations from May) were statistically processed. From statistically point of view, differences between variant V1 (control) and variant V4 is very negative significant, the other variants having values close to control variant (table 3). Table 3 Results regarding seedlings’ growing Mean height of % face to Variant Differences Signification plant control V1 50.8 100.00 0.00 control V2 51.1 100.59 0.30 V3 52.4 103.15 1.60 V4 21.3 41.93 29.50 000 LSD 5% = 2.5 cm, LSD 1% = 3.8 cm, LSD 0.1%= 6.1 cm
In the experimental field, seedlings which were planted on 10 th of May 2012, had a medium growing rhythm, blooming starting from the first decade (V1, V2, V3) or third decade (V4) of July, and fructification starting with the second decade (V1, V2, V3) or third decade (V4) of August. Ending of vegetation period took place I the first decade of November due to the climatic conditions (table 4). Table 4 Phenology of Pennisetum villosum in cropping conditions from Ia i County Date of Ending of Growing Blooming Fructification Variant planting vegetation rhythm (decade/month) (decade/month) 2012 period V1 10.05 medium I/07 II/08 I/11 V2 10.05 medium I/07 II/08 I/11 V3 10.05 medium I/07 II/08 I/11 V4 10.05 medium III/07 III/08 I/11
Morphological characterization of plants, realised at 31 st of October 2012, is presented in table 5. Table 5 Morphological characterization of Pennisetum villosum plants Mean number Mean Mean Mean length Mean of Diameter length width of height of inflorescence Variant of bush of of inflorescence plant / cm leave leave s cm plant cm cm cm pieces V1 62.4 48.7 26.2 0.5 8.9 56.3 V2 62.8 48.9 26.3 0.5 8.9 56.5 V3 63.3 49.3 26.3 0.6 9.0 57.5 V4 59.5 46.5 26.1 0.4 8.5 54.6
Pennisetum villosum R. Br. ex Fresen (fig. 6) decorates through port from establishing the crop in spring till late in autumn, and through inflorescence from June to October. Specie could be utilised in different vegetal compositions, in landscape designs like rounds, rabats, plat bands, rocky designs, decorative pots or as cut flowers in fresh or dry state.
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Fig. 6 Pennisetum villosum (autumn 2012) (original)
CONCLUSIONS 1. Specie Pennisetum villosum R. Br. ex Fresen is easily multiplied through seeds, and for crop establishing is recommended utilisation of seedlings. 2. Substrate formed by 1 part garden soil, 2 parts peat and 0.5 parts sand determine the obtaining of a 100% germination percent and seedlings with suitable morphological features. 3. In crop conditions from Ia i County, Romania, Pennisetum villosum R. Br. ex Fresen behaves like an annual plant which have a medium growing rhythm, and which presents remarkable ornamental features, decorating through port and inflorescence.
Acknowledgments . “This work was co funded from the European Social Fund through Sectorial Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007 2013, project number POSDRU/I.89/1.5/S62371 ,,Postdoctoral School in Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine area ”
REFERENCES 1. Ardle J., 2007 – Bamboos and Grasses , Royal Horticultural Society, Ed. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. Londra, U.K., ISBN 978 1 4053 1683 5. 2. Damanakis M, Yannitsaros A. , 1986 – The genus Pennisetum (Poaceae) in Greece. Willdnowia 15, p. 401 406, ISSN 0511 9618 , http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/ 3996454?uid=3738920&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21102433388091 3. WU Ju Ying,TENG Wen Jun,YUAN Xiao Huan,YANG Xue Jun, 2009 Evaluation of Five Ornamental Grasses from Pennisetum Rich. Grown in Beijing . Journal of Wuhan Botanical Research, 27(6), p. 661 666, http://en.cnki.com.cn/ Article_en/CJFDTotal WZXY200906014.htm and http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts /20103109520.html;jsessionid=6CFDB826C0451AA93E0D18F1DC664B44 4. http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/taes/tracy/610/pennisetum.html 5. http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/Gbase/data/pf000307.htm
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