Effects of gibberellic acid and benzyladenine on growth characteristics, sugars and photosynthetic pigments of Ficus benjamina L.

An important characteristic of foliage plants is the production of enough lateral or basal shoots. Among the most commonly used branching-inducers are gibberellic acid (GA3) and N6-benzyladenine (BA) which are synthetic cytokinins that have been shown to increase shoot number in some plant species. The aim of this research was studying the effects of synthetic branching agents on a foliage plant. The effects of GA3 and BA on Ficus benjamina plant was evaluated under greenhouse condition. Plants were treated with foliar application of GA3 and BA at 0, 100 and 200 mg L-1. The plants that were treated with GA3 and BA at 200 mg L-1 showed the highest number of leaves and plant height. Foliar application of 200 mg L-1 GA3 + 200 mg L-1 BA increased photosynthetic pigments. The highest rate of soluble carbohydrates and reducing sugars were belonged to 200 mg L-1 GA3 and 100 mg L-1 GA3 + 200 mg L-1 BA, respectively. Results indicated that application of 200 mg l-1 of GA3 + BA significantly promoted morphological growth, chlorophyll and carotenoid content, reduced sugars and soluble carbohydrates in F. benjamina.