Technological Abiotic Stresses in the Ornamental Cacti Schlumbergera truncata and Mammillaria Elongata

LOZANO MIGLIOLI, JORGE; DI BENEDETTO, ADALBERTO

Agricultural Research Updates

Nova Science Publishers

Año: 2022; p. 67 - 95

Ecological adaptations of cacti have been extensively studied. In recentyears, many cacti have been introduced as ornamental pot plants,although supported by scarce and insufficient experimental data. Innature, the growth of most cacti is limited more by the water availabilitythan by the soil space. In contrast, under pot culture conditions, with largewater and nutrient supply, cacti can suffer from different abiotic stressesrelated to root restriction, such as that observed in other ornamentalplants. In this context, it has been recently indicated that, in pottedornamental plants, a single 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) spray can beused to increase biomass accumulation. Although cytokinin sprays andcytokinin-containing substances have been previously used to improvecactus growth, the physiological mechanism involved has beenelucidated only recently.