Coverage effect on hardening of arrow cane (Gynerium sagitatum Aubl.) micropropagated plants

To evaluate the effect of plastic film coverage on ex vitro acclimatization of arrow cane (Gynerium sagitatum Aubl.), shoots of “Criolla”,  Martinera” and “Costera” cultivars were in vitro micropropagated in a medium supplied with 6-Benzylaminopurine and half of them were rooted in a medium with 1-Naphtalene acetic acid. Rooted and unrooted shoots were transplanted in a shade house with fog irrigation, into plastic trays (72 clusters per tray), using peat as substrate and half of them was covered with translucent plastic film during 5 days after transplant while the other half was maintained uncovered. The experiment consisted of a three-way factorial arrangement with 12 treatments distributed with a split-plot design where tray coverage was the main plot, cultivars were the split, and rooting condition was the split-plot. Each treatment (36 clusters) was repeated three times for a total of 1296 experimental units. After 40 days in the shade house, the survival rate was calculated, and plant heigth, number of shoots and number of roots data were analyzed by ANOVA (P<0.05) and means were separated by Tukey test (P<0.05). Plant survival was complete (100%) regardless of genotype, rooting, or coverage condition. Transferring plant into uncovered trays statistically resulted in higher levels for plant height, number of shoots, and number of roots. Ex vitro adaptation of micropropagated arrow cane plants without plastic film covers increased plant growth and reduced labor.