Enhancing Acclimatization Conditions for <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ‘Fire’: A Comparative Analysis of Substrate Effects on Growth and Survival
This study investigates the acclimatization success of <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ’Fire’, a popular ornamental bromeliad, through in vitro propagation on various substrates. Due to the increasing demand for <i>V. splendens</i>, micropropagation offers a promising solution to ov...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Eman Abdelhakim Eisa Daniela Salome Pasquel Davila Máté Ördögh |
| author_facet | Eman Abdelhakim Eisa Daniela Salome Pasquel Davila Máté Ördögh |
| author_sort | Eman Abdelhakim Eisa |
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| description | This study investigates the acclimatization success of <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ’Fire’, a popular ornamental bromeliad, through in vitro propagation on various substrates. Due to the increasing demand for <i>V. splendens</i>, micropropagation offers a promising solution to overcome the limitations of traditional propagation methods. In this research, acclimatization was conducted in two trial types: in the one-step greenhouse conditions, and in two-step acclimatization, which introduced a controlled laboratory step before transferring plants to the greenhouse. The substrates examined included pure and mixed forms of turf, perlite, coco coir, pine bark (hereafter referred to as bark), moss, and vermiculite. Morphological traits such as plant height, leaf length, number and length of roots, and fresh weight were evaluated, together with physiological parameters, such as chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations and survival percentage, to test the effectiveness of acclimatization. Coco coir-based substrates significantly enhanced plant height, root development, and survival percentages in both experiments compared with other substrates, thus proving its suitability for the propagation of <i>V. splendens</i>. Vermiculite had the highest survival rate during one-step acclimatization, whereas turf showed a very good performance in two-step acclimatization. On the opposite side, substrates containing bark and moss showed a reduced effect on plant growth and survival, which indicated the vital role of substrates for best development. Statistical analyses confirmed the superiority of some combinations of substrates related to physiological health, showing that optimal acclimatization results could be improved by a chosen substrate. These results strengthen the present in vitro propagation protocols of the <i>Vriesea</i> species by confirming the relevance of substrate choice in producing hardy plants with good commercial prospects. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-b8b0b9575d0d4b99ac0949b6249060312025-01-24T13:46:36ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-01-0114217210.3390/plants14020172Enhancing Acclimatization Conditions for <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ‘Fire’: A Comparative Analysis of Substrate Effects on Growth and SurvivalEman Abdelhakim Eisa0Daniela Salome Pasquel Davila1Máté Ördögh2Department of Floriculture and Dendrology, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), Villányi Street 29-43, 1118 Budapest, HungaryYachay Botanical Garden, Yachay Tech University, Hacienda San Eloy, Urcuquí 100115, EcuadorDepartment of Floriculture and Dendrology, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), Villányi Street 29-43, 1118 Budapest, HungaryThis study investigates the acclimatization success of <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ’Fire’, a popular ornamental bromeliad, through in vitro propagation on various substrates. Due to the increasing demand for <i>V. splendens</i>, micropropagation offers a promising solution to overcome the limitations of traditional propagation methods. In this research, acclimatization was conducted in two trial types: in the one-step greenhouse conditions, and in two-step acclimatization, which introduced a controlled laboratory step before transferring plants to the greenhouse. The substrates examined included pure and mixed forms of turf, perlite, coco coir, pine bark (hereafter referred to as bark), moss, and vermiculite. Morphological traits such as plant height, leaf length, number and length of roots, and fresh weight were evaluated, together with physiological parameters, such as chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations and survival percentage, to test the effectiveness of acclimatization. Coco coir-based substrates significantly enhanced plant height, root development, and survival percentages in both experiments compared with other substrates, thus proving its suitability for the propagation of <i>V. splendens</i>. Vermiculite had the highest survival rate during one-step acclimatization, whereas turf showed a very good performance in two-step acclimatization. On the opposite side, substrates containing bark and moss showed a reduced effect on plant growth and survival, which indicated the vital role of substrates for best development. Statistical analyses confirmed the superiority of some combinations of substrates related to physiological health, showing that optimal acclimatization results could be improved by a chosen substrate. These results strengthen the present in vitro propagation protocols of the <i>Vriesea</i> species by confirming the relevance of substrate choice in producing hardy plants with good commercial prospects.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/2/172bromeliad propagation<i>Vriesea splendens</i>micropropagationacclimatizationsubstratescoco coir efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Eman Abdelhakim Eisa Daniela Salome Pasquel Davila Máté Ördögh Enhancing Acclimatization Conditions for <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ‘Fire’: A Comparative Analysis of Substrate Effects on Growth and Survival Plants bromeliad propagation <i>Vriesea splendens</i> micropropagation acclimatization substrates coco coir efficiency |
| title | Enhancing Acclimatization Conditions for <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ‘Fire’: A Comparative Analysis of Substrate Effects on Growth and Survival |
| title_full | Enhancing Acclimatization Conditions for <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ‘Fire’: A Comparative Analysis of Substrate Effects on Growth and Survival |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing Acclimatization Conditions for <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ‘Fire’: A Comparative Analysis of Substrate Effects on Growth and Survival |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing Acclimatization Conditions for <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ‘Fire’: A Comparative Analysis of Substrate Effects on Growth and Survival |
| title_short | Enhancing Acclimatization Conditions for <i>Vriesea splendens</i> ‘Fire’: A Comparative Analysis of Substrate Effects on Growth and Survival |
| title_sort | enhancing acclimatization conditions for i vriesea splendens i fire a comparative analysis of substrate effects on growth and survival |
| topic | bromeliad propagation <i>Vriesea splendens</i> micropropagation acclimatization substrates coco coir efficiency |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/2/172 |
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