THE EFFECTS OF CYTOKININS AND THEIR INTERACTION WITH THIDIAZURON ON THE FORMATION OF AERIAL PLANTLETS IN ASPARAGUS

Abstract

The effect of cytokinins on formation of aerial plantlets and production of spears in asparagus plants has been investigated. Asparagus cultivars UC 157,UC 66, 500W and lea were used as test plants. They were treated with benzyladenine and kinetin as spray, soil drench, and positional application. The effects of cytokinin on shoots of different ages and on initiation of rhizome buds were studied. Additionally, interaction of cytokinin and thidiazuron was also explored. Spraying asparagus plants with varying concentrations of benzyladenine solutions, or positional application, resulted in formation of aerial plantlets; the number formed increased with an increase in concentration. Treatments as soil drench timulated rhizome buds to grow and produce many spears. The result demonstrated that benzyladenine and thidiazuron have similar physiological activities in asparagus system.This suggests that thidiazuron possesses a ahigh cytokkinin activity. A physiological interaction between benzyladenine and thidiazuron was demonstrated. The mixture of benzyladenine and thidiazuron was significantly higher than benzyladenine alone and less than thidiazuron alone number of aerial plantlets.