Vegetative propagation of Aesculus indica through stem cuttings treated with plant growth regulators

Cuttage propagation of Aesculus indica was tested by treatments with different concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) @ 2000, 4000 (ppm), indolebutyric acid (IBA) @ 2000, 4000 (ppm) and naphthlcetic acid (NAA) @ 2000, 4000 (ppm) in dry formulation in the Forest Nursery, Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-K, Shalimar. The cuttings treated with IBA @ 4000 ppm and IBA @ 2000 ppm had a sprouting rate of 75% and 50%, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of control and other treatments. The highest rooting rate (50%) was recorded in the cuttings with the application of IBA @ 4000 ppm. The cuttings treated with IBA @ 2000 ppm had 25% rooting rate. All other treatments along with control (talc powder) failed to induce rooting. It was concluded that IBA @ 4000 ppm was a better-applied concentration for vegetative propagation of A. indica under Kashmir conditions.     

Softwood cuttings for propagation of red alder

Tests were conducted to assess rootability of red alder softwood cuttings from shoots of young trees and epicormic sprouts of mature individuals. Ortets were 3 to 34 years old, and treatments with and without indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) were compared. The extent of rooting and root vigor on the cuttings varied greatly among ortets and treatments. Among nonterminal cuttings, the best overall rooting success, with and without IBA, was obtained with cuttings of the youngest ortet. Average rooting of terminal and nonterminal cuttings of one clone were 100% and 64%, respectively. Although cuttings of some trees rooted well without IBA, the IBA treatment appeared to be generally beneficial. For all nonterminal cuttings of all clones, best results (80.0%/x) were obtained with a 10-sec dip in 2,000 or 4,000 ppm IBA. Vigorous planting stock was obtained from the rooted cuttings of all clones. Using epicormic sprouts from mature trees of proven performance will presumably allow propagation of superior trees and establishment of new plantations with improved stock.     

Adventitious rooting in shoot cuttings of Azadirachta indica and Pongamia pinnata

Adventitious rooting in shoot cuttings of neem (Azadirachta indica) and karanj (Pongamia pinnata) was investigated in different seasons. The influence of auxins and B-vitamins (neem only) was evaluated. Maximum rhizogenesis coincided with the emergence of new sprouts i.e. February (neem) and March (karanj). Considering both rooting percentage and root biomass, IBA was the most effective auxin tested. Compared to auxin free controls, IBA (1000 ppm in neem and 800 ppm in karanj) significantly increased adventitious rooting percentage (80 to 100 % respectively), the numbers of roots and root biomass for both species. In neem, B-vitamin treatment yielded 40–50% rooting for cuttings. This was significantly greater than rooting for controls but equivalent to IAA treatments. In neem, some of the cuttings treated with 2000–3000 ppm IBA had well developed root systems without any sprouts. In karanj, all auxin treatments promoted sprouting. The level of total soluble sugars in the rooting zone of neem and karanj was higher in non-rooted than rooted cuttings.     

Vegetative propagation of Colutea arborescens L., a multipurpose leguminous shrub of semiarid climates

The vegetative propagation of the multipurpose leguminous shrub Colutea arborescens from leafless hardwood cuttings was examined. Specific attention was paid to the factors: 1) cutting origin (apical, medial or basal); 2) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatment (0, 50 or 200 ppm); and 3) relative humidity of the propagation environment (high or low humidity). After 120 days, 67.6% of the C. arborescens cuttings had rooted. The rooting ability of the cuttings was significantly influenced by the cutting origin and hormonal treatment. No effects on rooting percentage were shown by the relative humidity of the propagation environment. The best rooting response (95%) was shown by basal cuttings treated with 200 ppm IBA. Cutting origin, IBA treatment and relative humidity were significantly related to the root number, longest root length and the fresh/dry biomass of roots and leaves. Under conditions of high humidity, basal cuttings treated with 200 ppm IBA gave rise to the most highly developed plants. The positive relationship between sprouting and rooting suggests that successful propagation is related to the shoot formation potential of the cutting's food reserves. These findings were used to propose an efficient method for the vegetative propagation of C. arborescens plants. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of branch position and auxin treatment on clonal propagation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tectona grandis</Emphasis> Linn. f.

The main objective of our clonal propagation program is the production of high quality timber and faster tree growth. Teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) is an important plantation species in the tropics but the demand of teak timber is increasing globally. Teak planting stock is still produced from seeds of unselected elite genotypes which may lead to poor stand establishment. The number of seeds per fruit and their germination ability are also variable and limited by several factors. Therefore an alternative method i.e., clonal propagation is required for mass multiplication of elite trees. It is an established fact that the clonal propagation or adventitious root formation in cuttings is markedly affected by several external and internal factors. Considering these, an experiment was conducted on leafy soft wood shoot cuttings of 3-year-old hedged teak stock plants grown in a hedge garden to study the effects of branch position and auxin treatment on adventitious root formation. A factorial completely randomized design was used for experimentation. Coppice shoots were collected from basal, middle and upper positions of the hedge garden; and mono-nodal leafy cuttings were prepared. These cuttings were treated with different concentrations of IBA and NAA; and were cultured in a mist chamber for rooting where the relative humidity was maintained at 85 ± 2% with maximum and minimum day-night temperature at 32 ± 1°C and 26 ± 1°C respectively. After 45 days the cuttings were removed from the rooting medium and observations were made. It was observed that the rooting parameters viz., percent rooting and percent sprouting, mean number of leaves, mean number of shoots and length, and mean number of roots and length per cutting were significantly influenced by the branch position and auxin treatment. Treatment with 4000 ppm IBA increased percent rooting and percent sprouting whereas NAA suppressed it. Treatment with 4000 ppm IBA also increased the mean number of leaves and shoots, and the length, and the mean number of roots per cutting. The highest mean number of roots and length were observed in cuttings taken from the branch emerging at the upper position followed by branches of middle and lower position. Cuttings of branches at a middle position showed the highest values of percent rooting, percent sprouting, mean number of leaves and shoots and mean shoot length per cutting. Furthermore, the interactive effect of branch position and auxin treatment on rooting and sprouting response was also found to be significant. Overall, the findings of this investigation suggest that middle branch position in hedge plants and 4000 ppm IBA can be made to induce maximum rooting and to produce high quality planting stock material for clonal forestry program of teak.     

Vegetative propagation of African Blackwood (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dalbergia melanoxylon</Emphasis> Guill. &; Perr.): effects of age of donor plant,IBA treatment and cutting position on rooting ability of stem cuttings

A study to determine the best vegetative propagation protocol was carried out for Dalbergia melanoxylon. Natural regeneration of D. melanoxylon is limited due to poor seed viability and germination. The effects of age of donor plant, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatment and cutting position on rooting of stem cuttings were investigated. The effect of age of donor plant was significant (P < 0.001) only for percent rooting, position effect was significant for all studied parameters, and IBA treatment at 300 ppm was insignificant only for percent callusing. Interactive effects of cutting position × age of donor and cutting position × IBA treatment were significant for percent rooting and root number per cuttings while interactive effect of age × IBA was significant only for percent rooting. Observed difference in rooting performance could be due to uneven distribution of root promoting and inhibiting substances with respect to age of donor plant and IBA which intensified root formation. Cuttings from juvenile donor plant performed better in all rooting parameters than mature donor plant. The highest percentages in rooting were (71.11%) and (24.42%) for cuttings from juvenile and mature donor plants, respectively. IBA treated cuttings produced higher percentage rooting, number of roots and root length than untreated cuttings which revealed a strong IBA influence on rooting ability of stem cuttings in D. melanoxylon. It was concluded that stem cuttings should be taken from juvenile donor plants and basal cutting position should be used to produce high quality planting stock material for the afforestation and conservation programme of D. melanoxylon.     

几种生根剂对金银忍冬嫩枝扦插育苗作用的试验初报

用IBA、NAA、ABT1、IBA＋NAA四种生根剂,分别以不同浓度,不同浸泡时间处理金银忍冬嫩枝插穗进行扦插育苗试验,结果表明：用IBA 1000×10^-6、处理2s、生根率最高为69.4%;用NAA 1000×10^-6、处理时间2s、生根率最高为90%;用ABT1 200×10^-6、处理时间2h、生根率最高为80.2%;用NAA 100×10^-6＋IBA 50×10^6、处理2h、生根率90%或NAA 50×10^-6＋IBA 100×10^-6、处理12h、生根率90%,用清水处理2h,生根率70.4%,表明用外源激素处理能够提高金银忍冬嫩枝扦插的生根率,增加不定根数量。从上面的方差分析结果综合生根率和生根性状的各项指标,如果选择一种激素,选择NAA 100×10^-6＋IBA50×10^-6、处理2h、生根率90%,效果最为理想。     

Metabolic changes during adventitious root primordium development in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tectona grandis</Emphasis> Linn. f. (teak) cuttings as affected by age of donor plants and auxin (IBA and NAA) treatment

Aging of the donor tree decreased adventitious root formation in shoot cuttings of Tectona grandis Linn. f. (teak). Exogenous application of auxins, i.e., α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) has a significant positive effect on the percentage of rooting. The maximum percent rooting was obtained with 4,000 ppm IBA as compared to other treatment. Significant increase in root number was recorded in shoot cuttings treated with 4,000 ppm NAA. The overall rooting response was better in the treatment with IBA rather than with NAA. Further periodic samples (0, 10, 20, and 30 days) were taken to assess the total soluble sugar, starch, protein, and peroxidase (PER) activity in the rooting zone of shoot cuttings of teak during adventitious root formation. Application NAA and IBA to shoot cuttings resulted in an increase in the level of total soluble sugar, starch, protein, and PER-activity in the rooting zone. The stored carbohydrates were utilized during adventitious root formation. Hence, total soluble sugar and starch contents of cuttings, irrespective of age of donor plants, decreased with the passage of time in cuttings planted for rooting. Significant fluctuations were observed in the protein content of cuttings during the time of root induction. There was an increase in the protein content with the passage of time from the day of planting up to its 20th day, followed by a sharp decline in the protein content of cuttings at the 30th day of planting, irrespective of the age of donor plants or the treatment of cuttings with auxins. Irrespective of donor plant age, PER-activity in the cuttings increased from the day of their planting for rooting up to the 20th day, and then declined at its 30th day of planting. It was interesting to note that PER-activity remained higher at all stages in the cuttings of 2-month-old seedlings which rooted profusely as compared to the cuttings of 15- and 30-year-old donor plants those rooted poorly. This study suggested that the exogenously applied NAA and IBA at different concentration seems to activate sugar metabolism for release of energy, protein and PER-activity which are necessary for cellular division and differentiation during adventitious root primordium initiation or development in the rooting zone of shoot cuttings.     

Variation in rooting behavior of stem cuttings in relation to their origin in Taxus wallichiana Zucc.

The present study investigates optimal conditions for the vegetative propagation of Himalayan yew Taxus wallichiana Zucc., an important medicinal tree, during spring. Effect of four treatments: (a) sex of donor plant (male and female), (b) age/type of shoot (1, 2, 3 year old, long and dwarf shoots), (c) auxin treatment (IBA and NAA at 0, 0.5, 1.25, 5.0 & 50.0 mM) and (d) rooting environment (raised beds/polythene bags) on percentage rooting in stem cuttings was studied. Randomized complete block (RBD) designs were used for experimentation. Rooting ability of cuttings was significantly influenced by all these treatments. The overall rooting response was higher in long shoot cuttings taken from female tree. Age of shoot also influenced the rooting response and was highest in 1 year old long shoot cuttings of female tree. Exogenous application of auxin, α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and indole-3 butyric acid (IBA), had significant positive effect on the percentage rooting. IBA significantly enhanced the rooting percentage in 1 year old long and dwarf shoots at lower doses and 2 and 3 year old long shoots from female tree at higher doses. Maximum percent rooting (90% ± 2.8) was obtained with interactive effect of 0.5 mM, NAA (22 h) × 1 year old long shoot from female tree; followed by the interactive effect of 50 mM IBA (5 s) × 3 year old long shoot from female tree (83% ± 4.1). Cuttings planted in soil: sand medium in polythene bags showed earlier rooting response (12 weeks) than cuttings planted in raised nursery beds (24 weeks). Overall, the findings of this study suggest that 0.5 mM IBA treatment is suitable for enhancing adventitious rooting in 1 year old long and dwarf shoots of male and female trees. IBA at higher doses is suitable for enhancing the rooting percentage of 2 and 3 year old long shoots from female tree. This study provides a significant lead towards the development of a simple and inexpensive technique for large scale propagation, aforestation of elite genotypes and raising of bush type plantation under ex-situ conditions.     

Vegetative propagation of the threatened African wild olive [Olea europaea L. subsp. cuspidata (Wall. ex DC.) Ciffieri]

A rapid vegetative propagation method is described for Olea europaea L. subsp. cuspidata [Wall. ex DC.) Ciffieri (syn. Olea africana Mill.)]. Leafy branch cuttings were harvested from 6 to 7-month-old stecklings (= plants derived from rooted cuttings). Cuttings 2–3 mm in basal diameter were trimmed to 70–100 mm in length, with leaf areas reduced to 15–33 cm². Indolebutyric acid (IBA) was applied at 0, 10, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 µg/cutting to each of the 70–80 replicate cuttings randomly allocated to each of the 7 treatments. Callusing and rooting occurred 3–5 and 5–7 weeks after treatment, respectively. The rooting success of cuttings treated with 20 or 40 µg IBA/cutting was 75 and 90%, respectively. Differences in rooting success, speed of rooting and root numbers between the control and the IBA treatments were significant (p < 0.01). Compared to seedlings of similar shoot height, rooted cuttings grew significantly (p < 0.01) faster and produced more biomass. It is concluded from this study that the rooting of leafy branch cuttings derived from young stockplants of wild olive is rapid, and that vegetative propagation is an effective means of regenerating this valuable, yet threatened, tree species.     

Vegetative propagation of Colutea istria Mill. from leafy stem cuttings

This study investigates the optimal conditions for the vegetative propagation of the multipurpose leguminous shrub Colutea istria from leafy stem cuttings. The conditions examined included 1) the origin of the cutting (apical, medial or basal), 2) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatment (0, 50, 200 or 400 mg/l), 3) the relative humidity of the propagation environment (high or low), 4) wounding base of cutting, and 5) the season in which the cutting was taken. The rooting ability of the cuttings was significantly influenced by all these factors. Winter cuttings obtained from the middle and base of the branch showed a greater rooting capacity than those harvested from the apical area, while autumn cuttings harvested from the middle and apical areas of the branch showed a greater rooting capacity than those harvested from the base. Winter cuttings showed the best rooting capacity than autumn cuttings. IBA treatment (200 mg/l), high humidity (98-100%), and wounding increased the rooting capacity of the cuttings. The sprout of new leaves was higher in basal cuttings, while IBA and wounding also significantly enhanced the root number of rooted cuttings. A method for vegetatively propagating C. istria plants is given.     

Vegetative propagation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Litsea monopetala</Emphasis>, a wild tropical medicinal plant: Effects of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) on stem cuttings

In this study we investigated the rooting ability and the growth performance of juvenile single-node leafy stem cuttings of Litsea monopetala (Roxb) Pers. collected from two mature mother trees preserved in the hill forest of Chittagong district, Bangladesh. The rooting ability of cuttings was studied under 0%, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.4% indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatments. Significantly better rooting response (p ≤ 0.05) was observed with 0.1% IBA compared to control (0% IBA). The mean number of roots and the length of the longest root of cuttings in different treatments showed no significant difference (p≤0.05). After transfer into polythene bags from non-mist propagator, rooted cuttings treated with 0%, 0.1% and 0.2% IBA demonstrated the highest (100 ± 0.00%) survival capacity. The mean number of shoots developed in cuttings in the polythene bags in first three weeks varied significantly (p≤0.05) among the treatments. Effects of three fertilizer treatments, viz. T0 (no fertilizer), T1 (10g Urea, 20g TSP, 10g MOP dissolved in 1 L water) and T2 (10g Urea, 20g TSP, 10g MOP dissolved in 2 L water) on initial growth ofstecklings were also measured over a 90-days period. The increment of leaf area of stecklings was significantly higher (p≤0.05) under T0 compared with that under T1 and T2 while the increment of stem length, collar diameter and root biomass varied insignificantly among different fertilizer treatments. The results suggest that rooting juvenile single-node leafy stem cuttings could be an effective mean of regenerating L. monopetala. The application of 0.1% IBA concentration is recommended for rooting of juvenile leafy stem cuttings and application of fertilizer appeared unnecessary for the subsequent growth of stecklings in polythene bags.     

Root initiation of Shorea macrophylla cuttings: Effects of node position,growth regulators and misting regime

Single-node leafy cuttings from 8- and 15-month-old seedlings of the large Bornean Dipterocarp Shorea macrophylla (Illipe nut) rooted easily under continuous mist, both with and without the application of auxins. Callus production was greatest in the untreated cuttings. Rate of rooting was enhaced by 1200 ppm and 3600 ppm IBA, but the overall level of rooting after 61 days was unaffected by auxin treatment. In a second experiment, 3600 ppm IBA was found to be more effective than 3600 ppm NAA and mixtures of 1800 ppm NAA + 1800 ppm IBA. Mortality of cuttings was greatest with IBA especially at 10800 ppm. Cuttings from the second node below the apex rooted best, with rooting ability of those from nodes 3, 4 and 5 being progressively worse, and mortalities rising with distance from the apex. Cuttings from the uppermost node, which included the developing apex, had the lowest rooting ability. When continuous misting was replaced with misting for alternate hours, rooting was still good, but the absence of misting overnight resulted in much increased cutting mortality and, subsequently, in decreased rooting. It is suggested that Shorea macrophylla could be domesticated for fruit or timber production by the propagation of superior clones.     

Clonal propagation of guava （Psidium guajava Linn.） by stem cutting from mature stockplants

Introduction Guava (Psidium guajava Linn.), belonging to the Family Myrtaceae, is originated in the tropical South America (Hayes 1970; Pathak and Ojha 1993) and grows wild in Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Brazil, Florida, West Indies, California and also …     

Clonal propagation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dalbergia sissoo</Emphasis> Roxb. and associated metabolic changes during adventitious root primordium development

A study was conducted on the twelve clones of shisham (Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.). These clones were obtained from India and Nepal. Single-node leafy cuttings were prepared from the vegetative multiplication garden to examine the clonal variation, effect of IBA treatment on rooting response and associated metabolic changes during adventitious root formation. A remarkable and significant variation was observed due to treatment of 2,000 ppm IBA in the rooting parameters. Clonal variations were also significant for root and shoot growth while length of root was insignificant. Among the twelve clones studied; C3 (Tulsipur, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, India) and C4 (Laxmipur, Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, India) clone cuttings have given the highest rooting response. Interaction (clone × IBA) was significant only for production of number of roots per cutting. Periodic sampling for clone C3 was performed at 0, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days to examine the contents of total soluble sugars, starch, protein and peroxidase (PER) activity in the rooting zone of cuttings (∼0.5 cm) during adventitious root primordium development. A significant increase in all the metabolic activities was noted due to IBA. Total soluble sugars and starch contents of cuttings decreased with the passage of time. Protein content and PER-activity started to increase in the early stage and reached the highest level on day 21, followed by a decline at the 35th day of sampling. These trends were common for both IBA treated and untreated cuttings. Protein content and PER-activity remained higher in the rooting zone of IBA treated cuttings. Overall these findings suggested that exogenous application of IBA may have activated carbohydrate metabolism for release of energy, while protein and PER-activity were necessary for cell division and differentiation during adventitious root primordium initiation and development in the rooting zone of cuttings.     

IBA对四种樟科植物绿枝扦插生根的影响

阴香、刨花楠、香叶树和樟树是常见的园林绿化树种,具有较高的观赏价值和经济用途。为阴香、刨花楠、香叶树和樟树苗木的快速繁殖提供理论依据,以阴香、刨花楠、香叶树、樟树的1 a生半木质化枝条为材料,研究不同浓度IBA对其绿枝扦插生根的影响。结果表明,阴香、刨花楠、香叶树和樟树生根能力差异显著,IBA能够显著促进四种樟科植物插穗生根（p<0.05）,但不同树种最适IBA浓度不同。阴香、香叶树和刨花楠插穗生根最适IBA浓度为2000 mg·L-1,生根率分别为84.95%、78.26%和78.16%,根数分别为6.33、1.33和10.17,根长分别为17.90cm、4.42cm和4.32cm。樟树插穗生根最适IBA浓度为3000 mg·L-1,生根率（85.42%）和根数（9.67）达到最大。由隶属函数综合评价得出4个树种生根效果,香叶树的隶属函数均值最大（0.56）,生根效果最好,其次是樟树（0.54）和阴香（0.53）,均值较小的是刨花楠（0.46）,生根效果最差。     

Key roles of leaves, stockplant age, and auxin concentration in vegetative propagation of two African mahoganies: Khaya anthotheca Welw. and Khaya ivorensis A. Chev

Leaf area, IBA concentration and age of stockplants were all found to be important factors for successful rooting for vegetative propagation using single-node cuttings of the two main African mahogany species: Khaya anthotheca and K. ivorensis. Cuttings with leaf area of 30–50 cm² had the best rooting percentage and cuttings with about 30 cm² had the most number of roots per cutting in K. anthotheca. Khaya ivorensis, cuttings with 10–30 cm² leaf area had the highest rooting percentage. Cuttings collected from 1-year-old stockplants recorded the highest rooting percentage and largest number of roots per cutting. Cuttings from 3-year-old stockplant of the same seeds sources had the lowest rooting suggesting aging negatively impacted rooting ability. The effect of auxin concentration, on rootability was examined with cuttings of K. anthotheca. An IBA concentration of 0.8% was the best exogenous auxin concentration for percentage rooting, number of roots per cutting and the length of the longest root per cutting.     

The use of isozyme genetic markers to estimate the rate of outcrossing in a Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) seed orchard in Scotland

Effects of genotype, collection date, auxin treatment, crown position and artificial chilling on rooting and subsequent vegetative growth of Cupressus sempervirens L. softwood cuttings taken from 13-year-old plants were evaluated. Three different clones (318, 296 and 22) previously selected for resistance to cypress cortical cancer caused by Seiridium cardinale were used. In all these clones, both the IBA treated and the untreated cuttings showed seasonal periodicity of rooting. Untreated cuttings rooted best when collected in April (up to 49% for the best clone, i.e. 296) and rooted very poorly in July and October. Auxin treatments appeared unable to overcome this periodicity, as the cuttings taken in July and October did not respond to IBA stimulation. However, in January and April, IBA treatments enhanced adventitious root formation of poorly rooting clones (318 and 22), as well as of clone 296, which performed best (89%) when cuttings were treated in April with 1.5% IBA. Cuttings of each clone collected in the lower third of the crown of the donor trees showed a significantly higher rooting percentage, when compared with those from the upper third. A 4-week post-severance chilling treatment (4°C) significantly enhanced the rooting capacity of cuttings taken in January, while a longer chilling treatment (8 weeks) had a negative effect. The subsequent growth of the rooted cuttings was not affected by either the crown position of the severed cuttings, or the genotype.     

Vegetative propagation and initial growth performance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stereospermum suaveolens</Emphasis> DC., a wild tropical tree species of medicinal value

The present study aimed at examining the amenability of Stereospermum suaveolens DC. to vegetative propagation through rooting of leafy stem cuttings using low-cost polythene propagators. Rooting efficiencies of cuttings derived from two selected matured mother trees were studied using four different concentrations of Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), viz. 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4%. IBA applied at 40 μg per cutting (0.4% concentration) resulted in significantly higher rooting responses compared to the control (P < 0.05). Differences in the length of longest root for all the treatments were significant (P = 0.05) with cuttings treated with 0.2% IBA producing the longest root. The highest survival after 3 weeks of transference of the rooted cuttings into polythene bags was found for rooted cuttings treated with 0.2% IBA. Effects of three fertilizer treatments viz. T₀ (no fertilizer), T₁ (10 g of Urea + 20 g of TSP + 10 g of MOP dissolved in 1 l of water) and T₂ (10 g of Urea + 20 g of TSP + 10 g of MOP dissolved in 2 l of water) on initial growth of established rooted cuttings (stecklings) of Stereospermum suaveolens in polythene bags were also measured for a period of 90 days. Stem length, collar diameter and leaf area of the stecklings increased throughout the observation period. Increments of both stem length and collar diameter were significantly higher for the stecklings treated with T₂ in comparison with the control while increment of leaf area was found the highest for the stecklings treated with T₁. The study clearly indicated that Stereospermum suaveolens is amenable to vegetative propagation technique using juvenile single-node leafy cuttings and the initial growth performance of the established rooted cuttings (stecklings) in polythene bags under different fertilizer treatments was satisfactory.     

Effects of cutting types and hormonal concentration on vegetative propagation of Zanthoxylum armatum in Garhwal Himalaya,India

Experiments were carried out to define the effects of hormonal concentrations on semi-hard wood(SHW) and hard-wood(HW) branch cuttings of the Z.armatum. SHW and HW cuttings were collected in the month of March. The SHW and HW cuttings were treated with different concentration of indole-3-acetic acid and indole-3-butyric acid(IAA and IBA) and placed in vermiculite rooting medium for 90 days under 1-min misting after 10 min. Sprouting, rooting percentage, sprout number, sprout length, root number, and length were measured.The highest rooting and sprouting rate, 64.0 %, was obtained at the 0.3 % IBA treatment in the SHW cuttings.Similarly sprout length and number of roots per cutting were also higher at the 0.3 % IBA treatment in the SHW cuttings. The number of shoots per cutting was higher at the 0.3 % IAA treatment in the SHW cuttings. Root length per cutting was higher in 0.4 % IBA treatment in the SHW cuttings. The results indicated that 0.3 and 0.4 % IBA treatment produce higher rooting percentages as well as the number of roots and their length in SHW cuttings. The HW cuttings produced maximum rate of 18.0 % rooting in0.5 % IBA treatment. The control set and lower concentrations of IBA and IAA completely failed to root in the mist chamber.