P: ISSN No. 0976-8602 RNI No.  UPENG/2012/42622 VOL.- XII , ISSUE- III July  - 2023
E: ISSN No. 2349-9443 Asian Resonance

Effects and Challenges of Seasonal Changes on Garden Succulent Plants

Paper Id :  17839   Submission Date :  2023-07-06   Acceptance Date :  2023-07-20   Publication Date :  2023-07-24
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Ram Nath Khorwal
Professor
Department Of Botany
G.D. Govt. College For Women
Alwar, Rajasthan, India
Ankita Khorwal
Research Scholar
Department Of Botany
MDS University
Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Abstract

Most of the succulent plants are special xeromorphic with hydronchyma tissues of different organ parts of the plants and different types of vegetation grow in different climatic conditions of Thar Desert, plains, home and in gardens. Garden succulents are introduced every year from hill stations to Alwar Rajasthan. There are growth peak in winter, summer seasons and mortality peak in rainy season. Excess rain water, temperature and high humidity support to vigorously growth of fungus leads to root rot resultant death of introduced succulent plants.

Keywords Succulents, Root Rot, Fungus Xeromorphic, Hydronchyma Tissues.
Introduction

Succulents are drought resistant have their unique water holding properties , thrive in arid and semi arid climates with thick fleshy tissues adapted water storage(cacti in stem, agaves in leaves).They belong to 60 families with members of Azoaceae, Cactaceae Asparagaceae and Crassulaceae being dominant succulents and are cultivated as ornamental and house plants including Aloe, Sansevieria, Echeveria, and Kalanchoe. Xeromorphic adaptation in diversity of succulent plants based on morphologically structures in succulent plants grow in water deficit and are adaptation to drought and having water storing tissues hydronchyma in one or more organ with more than 95% volume of cells (Antony et al., 2008; Gibson,1996).Such plants photosynthesis in nocturnal C4 acid accumulation in CAM cycle(Schulte & Nobel,1989; Nobel,1991).Three main requirements of succulents are (1) storage of water in hydronchyma, (2)utilization of stored water,(3)maintain some metabolic activity when external water supply (Eggli & Nyffeler, 2009).

Objective of study

To identify the problems facing common people in cultivate or potted succulents. Which succulents are introduced from hill station to variable climatic parameters.viz. relative humidity caused by rainfall, temperature variations, how the deathand decay, root rot and stem rot occur in succulents.

Review of Literature

Previously the research work on different aspects on succulents and cacti was carried out by Schulte & Nobel, 1989; Nobel, 1991; Malcolm, et al. 2006; Antony et al., 2008; Gibson,1996; Eggli & Nyffeler, 2009; Guo et  al. 2017; Yao, 2021; Young et al 2022.

Methodology

Different succulent plant species are brought from local nurseries and they are replanted in prepared media .Media includes river sand, garden soil, charcoal, vermicompost, NPK, Potash, bone meal powder, fungicides-trichoderma, coconut mesocarp fibers pieces, thoroughly mixed,well drained media prepared and filled 3”-4”pots,planted ,watered, put them in semi shade area. The next watering after dry the soil in the pots, when relative humidity increases less water required, for weather data Digital Hygrometer ranges 5-95%RH and Alotpower soil moisture sensor meter used for soil humidity.

Analysis

Xerophytes- The succulent plants comes the plants adapted to life a dry physiological habitat (salt, marsh, saline, and acid bog) by means of mechanism to prevent water loss such one cacti and agaves its adaptations include waxy leaf coating, the ability to drop leaves during dry periods, the ability to reposition fold leaves to reduce sunlight to repositions and the development of a dense hairy leaf covering.

 Cactus- cacti are succulent perennial pants they generally have thick herbaceous or woody, chlorophyll containing stem. cacti can be distinguished from other succulent plants by the presence of areoles ,small cushion like structures with trichomes (plant hairs) and in almost all species, spines or barbed bristles(glochids). Areoles are modified bristles from which flowers, more branches and leaves (when present may grow).

Leaves and stipules are greatly reduced or modified as spines.“the tropical genera Pereskia and Pereskopsis, both vines” Root systems are generally thin fibirous  and shallow ranging widely to absorb superficial. Cacti are in different shapes and sizes.garden succulents are grown in prepared media, growth and morphological changes are recorded, maximum growth in winter dormant in summer and rotting of root,stem and leaves were obeserved in higher temperature and higher humidity in rainy season.when plants are kept in inside hut there least air circulation, death rate was  more fast

Common succulents in the gardens

Baby sun rose (Aptenia cordifolia)(Fig.19)

Burros tail (Sedum morganium) (Fig.2)

Century plant (Agave Americana) (Fig.11)

Crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) (Fig.14)

Flowering kalanchoes (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) (Fig.13)

Hens and chicks (Sempervivum sp.) (Fig.4)

Jade plant (Crassula arboresecens,Crassula ovate) (Fig.3)

Medicine plant (Aloe barbadensis, Aloe vera)(Fig.10)

Panda plant (Kalancoe tomentosa) (Fig.6)

Pincushion cactus (Mammillaria crinite) (Fig.12)

Portulaca sps( Fig.15)

Roseum(Sedum spurium)(Fig.7)

Sedums (Sedum spurium) (FIG.1)

Sunbrust(Aeonium davidbramwellii) (Fig.5)

Snake plant (Sansevieria trifaciata) (Fig.9)

String of pearls(Senecio rowleyanus)(Fig.16)

Zebra plant (Haworthia fasciata) (Fig.8)

The average humidity low in winter and summer seasons while high up to 90-92% in the rainy season. The average rainfall low in month of Jauary,Feb,December,10,12,5  mm respectively high in month of June, July August 30 mm to 90 mm (Fig.2,3 graphs),average temperature low in month of January 10oc,12 oC and high in month of May 41oC,June 40 oC.

Result and Discussion

Garden succulents vigoroursly grow  and sprout pups in the months of November to February  while dormant stage in summer months .Decay and death by root rot, stem rot in Echiveria  in the month of July to August (Fig.17,18). The root rot caused by fungus Fusarium  and Neocosmospora (Kamali and Sarvestani(2022) and  (Yao,2021) leads to the death of succulents.

The variation and climatic change in rainfall temperature and relative humidity throughout the year correlates the growth dormancy and death,decay of the cultivated or pot succulents. Results were recorded in above cited succulents.

Discussion-Climate change represents a severe threat to the biodiversity, structure and functioning of the ecosystem (Malcolm et al. 2006; IPCC. 2013). Desert are one of the most diversity worldwide .Guo et al (2017) studied effect of non-rainfall moisture availibilty (number fog day relative humidity) of two genera of Aizoaceae, show a construction and loss of habitat. Young et al (2022) studied biodiversity and climate changes in dwarf succulents in South Africa effect of anthropogenic climate change on the dwarf succulent genus Conophytum (Aizoaceae) Floral biodiversity. The distribution of Conophytum  is predominently  influenced by two main environmental variables namely geology and the amount of  rainfall in the warmest quarter. The genus  concides  warmest quarter with natural dormancy. 




Conclusion

The study of 17 species data were recorded and carried and we found various morphological changes ,root rot, stem rot, soft rot were caused by fungus (Yao et al, 2021; Kamali and Sarvestani, 2022)

References

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3. Gibson, A.C. (1996).Structure-function relations of warm desert plants. Berlin, Germany: Springer.

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11. Yao,J.,Huang,P.Chen,H.,andYu, D.(2021).Fusarium oxysporum is the pathogen responsible for stem rot of the succulent plant Echeveria ‘[erlevon Nurnberg’ and observation of the infection process. Eur. J. Plant Pathology 159:555-568.

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