International Journal of Plant & Soil Science

Vertical gardening is useful for growing ornamental foliage plants under limited space conditions, where leaf morphology is important for quality and visual appeal. Balanced leaf development under restricted space and limited growing media remains challenging. The present study evaluated the effect of growth regulators on leaf characteristics of Syngonium species under vertical gardening conditions. The investigation was conducted at the Floricultural Research Station, ARI, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana Horticultural University, during 2023–2024 and 2024–2025. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomised block design with three replications. Treatments comprised Cycocel at 500 ppm, Cycocel at 1000 ppm, Benzyl Adenine at 100 ppm and Benzyl Adenine at 200 ppm, with three Syngonium types: Syngonium reticulata, Syngonium podophyllum ‘Neon’ and Syngonium podophyllum ‘Bronze’. Observations were recorded 125 days after planting for leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, dry weight of leaf, specific leaf area, specific leaf weight and leaf thickness. Significant variation was observed among treatments, species and their interactions. Benzyl Adenine at 200 ppm recorded the highest leaf length (16.26 cm), leaf width (8.69 cm), leaf area (132.20 cm²) and dry weight of leaf (0.385 g). Benzyl Adenine at 100 ppm recorded the highest specific leaf area (356.8 cm² g⁻¹), whereas Cycocel at 1000 ppm recorded the highest specific leaf weight (4.41 mg cm⁻²) and leaf thickness (0.88 mm). Among the species, Syngonium reticulata recorded higher values for most leaf characters. The findings indicate that Benzyl Adenine may improve leaf expansion, while Cycocel may support compact foliage development.