Abstract
To unify the time of shoot development in Odontioda orchid, effects of the size of shoots that were decapitated on the time of shoot development and flowering was investigated. Healthy shoots developed from more than 80% of plants within 40 days after decapitation, even if the size of shoots decapitated differed. The percentage of flower-stalk emergence of developed shoots ranged from 60 to 87%, and there were no differences among shoot sizes. There was no difference in time of flower-stalk emergence among shoot sizes. When the plants that did not flower and developed secondary shoots were selected and the secondary shoots of those plants were decapitated, new flower-stalks emerged from 70% of those plants within 30 days after decapitation.
In conclusion, despite difference in the sizes of shoots that were decapitated, decapitation of developing shoots stimulated emergence of new shoots, and the development of the shoots was uniform. Moreover, when the shoots of the plants that did not flower last season were decapitated, new flower-stalks emerged from back shoots. Thus, it was demonstrated that decapitation of the developing shoot was useful for not only unifying the developmental stage of shoots but also improving flower pot productions.
