Now a day, plant growth regulators have been used by the nurserymen and commercial growers of ornamental plants as a part of cultural practices. PGRs have quicker effect on ornamental plants including foliage and ornamental grassess to modify growth, foliage colour as well as flower yield. Application of growth regulators have various advantages on ornamental plants like less time consuming to treat the plant and its use are environment friendly. Various factors contributing to the efficacy of plant growth regulators among them the method of application plays a key role in determining the efficacy of plant growth regulators. PGRs and new class plant growth regulators can be very effective on flowering and foliage plants, if properly applied at appropriate concentrations and time. Implication of PGRs in flowering and foliage plants must be specific their action and ensure that it should be nontoxic and environmentally safe. It has been observed from various research reports that the physiological activities of flowering and foliage plants are regulated by the growth regulators and finally affects the growth of plants as well as flower production of various flowering plants. Plant growth regulators also play a significant role in propagation by means vegetative, seed treatment, in vitro propagation and in vitro rooting of ornamental and foliage plants. Besides these, PGRs are also involved in prolonging the life of flowers, vase life of cut flowers, plant growth promotion and regulation of flowering, breaking of dormancy in seeds, bulbs, corms and tubers of flowering plants, enhancing apical dominance, lateral branching, plant height control and delayed flowering. In the present overview, we discuss the types of plant growth regulators their applications and effect on flowering, foliage including ornamental grasses.

Highlights

• Plant growth regulators play a significant role in propagation by means vegetative, seed treatment, in vitro propagation and in vitro rooting of ornamental and foliage plants.
• PGRs are also involved in increase and decreased flower senescence, prolonging the life of flowers, plant growth promotion and regulation of flowering, post-harvest handling of cut flowers along with prolonging the self and vase life of flowers, breaking of dormancy in seeds including bulbs, corms and tubers of flowering plants, enhacing apical dominance and lateral branching, plant height control and deleyed flowering.