Macro Propagation of Homalomena aromatica Schott – A Potential Commercial Ornamental Plant

• Published in: Environment and ecology Vol. 41; no. 4C; pp. 2939 - 2942
• Main Authors: Hatibarua, Preeti, Gogoi, Sailen, Devi, Ningombam Sushma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2023
• ISSN: 0970-0420
• DOI: 10.60151/envec/YQKZ6972

Homalomena aromatica Schott., is an endangered perennial evergreen rhizomatous herb of Northeast India with immense commercial importance for its essential oil content and traditional medicinal uses. So far, commercial cultivation has not been taken up due to the absence of standardized propagation methods. Therefore, present study compared the different methods of rhizome cuttings (top cutting, base cutting, two node cutting, one node cutting, and bit cutting) to identify the best method for sustainable cultivation. It was also observed that top cutting produced superior result in terms of root/plant (2.14), root length (8.45 cm), root diameter (0.29 cm), and rhizome weight (50 g) after one month of planting. Similarly, top cutting also gave best vegetative growth with maximum shoot length (33.5 cm), leaves/shoot (5.12), petiole length (30.4 cm), leaf lamina length (20.86 cm) and leaf lamina breadth (13 cm) after 3 months of planting. Whereas the least root development and vegetative growth were recorded in bit cutting. Based on overall performance of the different methods of cutting used for this study, the top cutting method can be recommended for easy and convenient vegetative propagation for Homalomena aromatica.