EVALUATION OF GERANIUM VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SOME BIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

The study evaluated the vegetative propagation of geraniums, Pelargonium peltatum, under the influence of some bioactive substances. 10 products with biostimulatory effect were tested, along with a control variant: V1 (control, water treatment), V2 (Radifarm, 0.2%), V3 (Radistim, powder -cuttings treatment at planting), V4 (Ecopan-1, 1.5%), V5 (Legume extract 1, 1.5%), V6 (Aromatic plant extract, 1.5%), V7 (Legume extract 2, 1.5%), V8 (Ecopan-2, 1.5%), V9 (Bionat Plus, 1.5%), V10 (Dill Essential oil, 1/50), V11 (GMO Essential oil, 1/100). The uniform geranium cuttings, 10 cm long, and with a pair of leaves at the top, were placed on a peat-based rooting substrate. The rooting process was evaluated in terms of the roots number (RN) and the roots length (RL). The planting took place on February 20, and the determinations were made on March 6 (T1), March 13 (T2), March 20 (T3) and April 2 (T4). The variants V2 and V3 were highlighted, as roots number (RNV2=18.5 +/- 1.21, respectively RNV3= 11.5 +/- 1.21), and variants V10 and V6 as root length (RLV10=17.20 +/- 0.20 cm, respectively RLV6=16.10 +/- 0.20 cm). Strong, positive correlations were identified between RN-T3 and RN-T2 (r=0.795**), between RL-T3 and RL-T2 (r=0.801**), and between RN-T4 and RN-T3 (r=0.756**), in statistical safety conditions (** p<0.01). Based on PCA, PC1 confirmed 42.128% of variance, and PC2 confirmed 33.487% of variance. The values of the parameters RN and RL at the T4 moment (considered the end of the rooting process) were evaluated in relation to intermediate values (T2, T3) by regression analysis and equations were obtained in statistical safety conditions (R2 = 0.992 for RN, respectively R2 = 0.981 for RL, p <0.001 in both cases).