Growth Characteristics and Yield of Anoectochilus roxburghii Cultivars

The in vitro growth characteristics of tissue cultured plantlets and the growth, biomass increase and dry matter content of 200-day-old seedlings of three varieties of Anoectochilus roxburghii were compared. The appearance and stem girth of the in vitro Hongxia and Yuanye plantlets were superior to those of Jianye. Among the 200-day-old seedlings, Hongxia had an outstanding appearance and the largest fresh weight yield and dry matters per unit area among the 3 cultivars. Overall, Hongxia was rated most desirable, followed by Yuanye and Jianye, for scaleup cultivation.