Heliconia Genotypes under Partial Shade: I. Shooting and Blooming

In the Northeast Region of Brazil, the weather conditions are very suitable for growing heliconia plants of great potential for the cut flower industry. There is vigorous vegetative growth, producing many strong lateral shoots, forming large clumps. The Federal Rural University of Pernambuco State (UFRPE) maintains its own Heliconia Germplasm Collection, which was the source of the 10 genotypes evaluated in this study. The experimental design was the randomized complete block design, with four replications. Cultivated under partial shade, the genotypes evaluated during 18 months were: H. bihai, H. bihai 'Nappi Yellow', H. caribaea x H. bihai 'Carib Flame', H. collinsiana, H. episcopalis, H. pendula, H. psittacorum x H. spathocircinata 'Golden Torch', H. rostrata, H. stricta I and H. stricta II. The evaluated agronomic parameters were: number of shoots per clump (NSC); area per clump (APC); number of flowering stems per clump (NIC); beginning of flowering stage (BFS); days for inflorescence emergence (DIE); number of days from inflorescence emergence to harvesting (DIH); length of flowering cycle (LFC). The NSC varied from 31.7 (H. bihai 'Nappi Yellow') to 143.7 (H. psittacorum x H. spathocircinata 'Golden Torch'). The APC varied from 0.39 m(2) (H. bihai 'Nappi Yellow') to 2.53 m(2) (H. stricta II). These genotypes yielded 31.7 and 105.8 shoots per clump, respectively. The NIC varied from 12 (H. stricta II) to 55.8 (H. psittacorum x H. spathocircinata 'Golden Torch'). The LFC varied from 131 days in H. psittacorum x H. spathocircinata 'Golden Torch' (short cycle) to 238 days H. stricta II (medium cycle). These results answer some of the initial questions from growers currently working at the Atlantic Forest Zone on plant selection and crop management. The information obtained with this study also serves as first guidelines for further studies on heliconia plant breeding programs in this environment.