Spathiphyllum, popularly known as the Peace Lily, is notable for its attractive foliage and beautiful white flowers. Even without flowers, the glossy green foliage can enhance the aesthetic appeal of indoor spaces. It has gained worldwide popularity as one of the most coveted houseplants for its attractive, glossy green leaves and beautiful white, flower-spiked inflorescences (Elbohy, 2018). The plant’s beauty is further enhanced by the contrast between its dark green leaves and the bright white spathes, which are often mistaken for flowers.
       
Spathiphyllum nutrition depends largely on light intensity. Shading levels between 50% and 75% mirror the plants’ natural habitat, resulting in robust foliage and flowers.  Proper shading and light management are required to enhance plant quality and development potential (Marousky, 1980).
       
The choice of media is another important factor for the successful growth of Spathiphyllum plants. In most cases, organic amendments, such as peat moss and compost, are incorporated to improve soil structure and provide essential nutrients (Khayyat et al., 2007). Tejukumar et al. (2023) reported that 75% shade significantly improved vegetative growth, foliage chlorophyll and foliage longevity in potted Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum, highlighting the need for appropriate shade management for quality plant production. Despite previous studies on shade and growing media in Spathiphyllum, limited information is available on their interactive effects on Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum. The combined effects of different shade intensities and growing media combinations remain insufficiently studied, particularly under the agroclimatic conditions of eastern India.

An experiment was conducted to determine the comparative performance of peace lilies under different shade levels and growing media and to evaluate vegetative behavior. It was carried out for two seasons in the form of a pot culture trial in the Terrace garden, Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, during the period from April 2022 to May 2024 (First crop from 01.04.2022 to 31.03.2023 and the second crop from 01.04.2023 to 15.05.2024). The trial was conducted as a factorial experiment, following a completely randomized design with three replications, comprising two factors: growing environment (i.e., shade levels) and potting media. In the present investigation, three growing environmental conditions, namely E1 (50% shade), E2 (70% shade) and E3 (85% shade), were used. To create 50% and 70% shade as the requirement, UV-stabilized agro shade net of green color, creating the desired level of shade, was fixed at a height of 3.9 meters above the ground level and 85% shade was naturally available near the staircase situated close to the terrace garden, where the other two shade treatments were imposed. The light intensity in the experimental area was measured using a Kyoritsu Illuminometer Model 5200 and compared with that of the open environment to confirm the required shade levels. The average minimum and maximum temperatures under 50% shade intensity were 22.4°C and 33.2°C, respectively. The average minimum and maximum temperatures under 70% shade intensity were 20.3°C and 31.2°C, respectively. The average minimum and maximum temperatures under 85% shade intensity were 19.3°C and 30.8°C, respectively. The relative humidity ranges under 50%, 70% and 85% are 75-91%, 78-93% and 80-95%, respectively.  All observations were recorded for 2 consecutive years and the cumulative data from both years were used for analysis once using Windostat 9.50.

Significant differences were found in various vegetative attributes, including plant height, plant spread, number of leaves, length and width of the longest leaf, number of suckers per clump and leaf area, across different shade levels and growing media.
 
Plant height and number of leaves at 9 months after planting
 
The data presented in Table 1 revealed that shade levels significantly influenced Spathiphyllum plant height at 9 months after planting in both years. The pooled analysis showed that moderate shade (E2) had the highest plant height, followed by E1, whereas deep shade (E3) had a significantly lower height.


       
Among the growing media, M1 recorded the highest pooled plant height, followed by M4, M3 and M2. The interaction effect showed that E2 × M1 produced the tallest plants, followed by E2 × M3 and E2 × M4 (75.23 cm each), whereas the minimum height was recorded under E3 × M2. The better performance of E2 indicates that Spathiphyllum prefers a moderately shaded environment, where filtered light reduces excessive radiation and leaf temperature, thereby reducing stress while maintaining favorable conditions for cell expansion and shoot elongation. Similar responses have been reported in shade-adapted ornamental crops, where optimal light conditions improve vegetative growth and biomass accumulation (Demmig-Adams and Adams, 1992; Taiz and Zeiger, 2015). The superiority of M1 suggests that its favorable physical structure, moisture balance and nutrient availability supported better root development, nutrient uptake and sustained vegetative growth. The interaction effect further highlights that optimal above-and below-ground conditions together enhance plant growth, as observed in E2 × M1.
       
Shade levels also significantly affected leaf production. The pooled data showed that E2 had the highest number of leaves, followed by E1 and E3. Among the media, M2 consistently promoted maximum leaf production, recording 13.11 leaves in the first year, 14.71 in the second year and a pooled mean of 13.91 leaves, whereas M4 recorded the lowest values. The interaction effect revealed that E2 × M2 produced the maximum number of leaves (18.93), while E3 × M4 recorded the minimum (6.20 leaves).
        
The increased leaf production under moderate shade suggests that this light regime provided an ideal balance between light availability and stress reduction, enabling efficient photosynthesis and better allocation of assimilates towards leaf initiation and expansion. Tejukumar et al. (2023) similarly reported maximum leaf number in Spathiphyllum under 75% shade. Their results indicated that 75% shade provided favorable light conditions for growth and carbon assimilation. However, the optimum response at 70% shade in the present study, rather than 75%, indicates that the threshold for maximum vegetative development is not fixed and may vary with genotype, background irradiance, growing medium and environmental conditions. Savita et al. (2022) observed significant effects of growing conditions on plant height, number of leaves and leaf dimensions in Asiatic lily. Recent physiological reviews emphasize that shade-tolerant species respond to low irradiance through coordinated changes in light capture and carbon allocation. However, these adjustments have a lower light limit beyond which carbon gain and growth decline (Martinez-Garcia, 2023). 
     
Plant spread east to west (E -W) and north to south (N-S) at 9 months after planting
 
Table 2 revealed that shade levels and growing media significantly influenced the canopy spread in Spathiphyllum. The pooled E-W spread was highest under E2, followed by E1 and E3. Among the media, M2 recorded the maximum spread, while M4 showed the lowest. The interaction E2 × M2 produced the widest canopy (56.88 cm), whereas E3 × M4 recorded the minimum (42.33 cm). Similarly, the pooled N-S spread was highest under E2, with M2 showing superior performance. The maximum interaction effect was observed in E2 × M2 (53.72 cm), while E3 × M4 recorded the lowest spread (34.98 cm). The improved canopy development under moderate shade may be attributed to favorable light conditions, while M2 lightly enhanced growth due to better aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability. Similar responses have been reported in ornamental foliage crops (Wu et al., 2018; Karam et al., 2020). Recent findings in heliconia demonstrated significant interactions between growing media and light intensity for vegetative growth (Mohanty et al., 2026).


 
Length and width of the longest leaf at 9 months after planting
 
Table 3 revealed that shade levels, growing media and their interaction significantly influenced leaf length and width in Spathiphyllum. The pooled data showed that E2 had the longest leaf length, which was significantly longer than that of E1 and E3. Among the growing media, M2 produced the longest leaves, whereas M4 recorded the lowest. The interaction effect indicated that E2 × M2 resulted in maximum leaf length (32.57 cm), while E3 × M4 recorded the minimum (15.57 cm). The improved leaf elongation under moderate shade suggests that filtered light reduced radiation stress and maintained favorable hydration conditions, promoting cell expansion and leaf development. Similar responses have been reported in ornamental foliage crops under partial shade conditions (Wu et al., 2018; Karam et al., 2020). 


       
Leaf width was also significantly influenced by treatments. E2 recorded the highest pooled leaf width, followed by E1 and E3. Among the media, M2 showed superior performance, with the maximum leaf width, while M4 recorded the lowest. The best interaction was observed in E2 × M2 (18.27 cm), whereas E3 × M4 produced the minimum width (5.53 cm). Moderate shade likely enhanced leaf expansion by reducing heat load and maintaining better water balance, resulting in improved leaf area and canopy quality. The consistent superiority of M2 indicates its favorable substrate properties, including better aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability, which supported root activity, nutrient uptake and leaf expansion. Similar effects of substrate quality on ornamental plant growth have been reported by Abad et al., (2001), Argo and Biernbaum (1996) and Hernández-Apaolaza et al. (2019).
 
Number of suckers per clump and leaf area at 9 months after planting
      
Table 4 revealed that shade intensity and growing media significantly influenced sucker production and leaf area of the peace lily. At 9 months, pooled data showed that E2 (70% shade) recorded the highest sucker production (7.87), followed by E1 (5.86), while E3 (5.34) showed the lowest response. Among growing media, M2 was superior (8.77), followed by M1 (6.78), M3 (5.82) and M4 (4.06). The interaction E2×M2 produced the maximum number of suckers (10.07), whereas E3×M4 recorded the minimum (3.17). Moderate shade enhanced clump multiplication by maintaining a favorable microclimate, improving assimilate production and meristem activity (Wu et al., 2018; Karam et al., 2020). In contrast, excessive shade reduced sucker formation due to limited availability of photosynthetic carbon, while lower shade levels comparatively reduced multiplication. Growing media played an important role in vegetative propagation, with M2 consistently promoting higher sucker production due to improved aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability, which supported better root activity and clump development.


       
Leaf area was also significantly affected by shade intensity and growing media. E2 recorded the highest leaf area, followed by E1, while E3 recorded the lowest. Among the media, M2 produced the maximum leaf area, followed by M1, M3 and M4. The combined effect of shade and media showed that E2 × M2 produced the highest leaf area (391.20 cm²), whereas E3 × M4 recorded the lowest (51.41 cm²). The greater leaf area under E2 may be associated with improved shade acclimation and light use efficiency. Under reduced irradiance, Spathiphyllum can increase its light-harvesting capacity through greater chlorophyll investment and morphological adjustments in leaves. Tejukumar et al. (2023) similarly reported enhanced leaf length, leaf number and chlorophyll content of Spathiphyllum under 75% shade, suggesting that increased shade promoted foliage acclimation to low light conditions. However, the present study recorded maximum leaf area at 70% shade rather than 75%, indicating that the optimum irradiance for leaf expansion may vary with genotype, growing medium and environmental conditions. Conversely, a high shade (E3) had a profound impact on leaf area, reflecting the inhibitory effect of long-term low light on photosynthetic carbon gain and leaf development. In these circumstances, plants are likely to reduce leaf size to balance carbon availability and respiratory demand, resulting in smaller leaves and reduced canopy cover (Poorter et al., 2019). The rise in media was critical in determining leaf area, with M2 always producing the largest leaf. This indicates that M2 had a better physical structure, aeration, moisture retention and nutrient availability, which contributed to intense root activity and improved leaf expansion. A considerable effect of substrate quality on leaf development has been previously reported in ornamental crops grown in containers (Argo and Biernbaum, 1996; Abad et al., 2001; Hernández-Apaolaza et al., 2019).

Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that cultivation of Spathiphyllum under 70% shade with a growing medium of soil: s and: FYM: perlite (2:1:1:1) significantly enhances vegetative growth parameters, including plant height, leaf number, leaf area and overall plant vigor. This combination creates an optimal microenvironment for better root development and nutrient uptake, leading to improved plant establishment and growth. Hence, this practice may be recommended to both amateur and commercial growers for the successful indoor cultivation of Spathiphyllum. The results also provide valuable insights to help nursery growers achieve healthy, uniform plant growth, thereby ensuring better market quality and higher economic returns. Furthermore, the findings can support policymakers and horticulture departments in promoting Spathiphyllum as a potential ornamental crop under protected cultivation, thereby contributing to the diversification and strengthening of the floriculture industry.

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article. No funding or sponsorship influenced the design of the study, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.