Effect of Shade Levels on Leaf Area and Biomass Production of Three Varieties of Dracaena sanderiana L. in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka

An experiment was conducted in a shade house to determine the effects of three shade levels on leaf area and biomass production of three varieties of dracaena (Dracaena sanderiana L.) in the dry zone (Batticaloa district) of Sri Lanka. ‘Gold’, ‘Victory’ and ‘White’ varieties were arranged in 50%, 70% and 80% shade levels as a CRD. There was a significant interaction between varieties of dracaena and the shade levels on leaf area and biomass production. The plants grown at 50% and 70% shade levels produced the highest leaf area and biomass than plants subjected to 80% shade. Biomass production was in accordance with the trend of variances for leaf area. Varieties ‘Gold’ and ‘Victory’ performed better than ‘White’ in leaf area and biomass production under 50% and 70% shade level and there were no significant variations between them. Therefore, in this study it was concluded that, 70% shade level is suitable for growing dracaena varieties in the dry zone of Sri Lanka as the growth of dracaena varieties were higher than the other shade levels.

Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 23 (2): 142– 151 (2012)