Use of Chitosan Derivatives to Improve the Growth of Ornamentals

Nowadays, the use of natural biopolymers in the field of agriculture has increased in order to achieve sufficient yields and quality. Chitosan and its derivatives have a great potential with various applications in agriculture. Minimal research on effect of chitosan oligomers with different molecular weight on growth ornamental plants has been published. Ornithogalum saundersiae is a valuable species, recommended for cultivation in gardens and green areas, as well as for cut and pot plant. This species can also be potentially used in pharmacology. In the experiment, 0.5% solutions of oligochitosan with molecular weights MW 5000 and 100,000 g·mol -1 were used for coating Ornithogalum saundersiae bulbs. The biopolymers have been characterized using HPLC method. The results indicated that oligochitosan significantly enhanced the growth attributes, physiological parameters, as well as the weight and numerical coefficient of bulbs. Oligochitosan with MW 100,000 g·mol -1 proved best and gave maximum width of inflorescence, number of flowers per inflorescence, stomatal conductance and weight of bulbs over the control.