Vegetative propagation of Inga feuillei from shoot cuttings and air layering

Cuttage and air layering were evaluated as means of vegetative propagation of the tropical woody tree, Inga feuillei. Effects of moisture management systems, leafiness, auxin application, and stem diameter on rooting of semihardwood cuttings were investigated. Cuttings were taken from 2-year-old seed-propagated, greenhouse-grown stock plants. Compound leaves were either reduced in area or removed entirely before auxin pretreatment with 0, 0.3, or 0.8% indolebutyric acid (IBA) followed by sticking under mist or in a polyethylene enclosure. Leafless cuttings did not root regardless of moisture management system or auxin pretreatment, whereas 55% rooting of leafy cuttings was observed. Leafy cuttings rooted significantly better under mist than in a polyethylene enclosure. Auxin treatment at the higher level increased rooting percentage approximately two fold for larger diameter cuttings (8.1 to 20 mm), but had no effect on the smaller cuttings (2 to 8 mm), and resulted in an approximately three fold increase in the number of roots/rooted cutting for both stem diameter classes. Auxin treatment did not affect rooting percentage of leafy softwood cuttings under fog, however it did increase the number of roots per rooted cutting. One hundred percent of air layered shoots rooted within 5 weeks with or without auxin pretreatment, and all rooted layers survived transplanting to soil. Possible implications of this research on agroforestry, selection, genetic improvement, and conservation are discussed.     

Genetic variation in rooting ability of loblolly pine cuttings: effects of auxin and family on rooting by hypocotyl cuttings

After about 20 days, hypocotyl cuttings from 20-day-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings rooted easily in the presence of the auxin indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), with roots forming directly from xylem parenchyma. In contrast, woody cuttings from 1-2-year-old hedged seedlings formed roots indirectly from callus tissue in 60-90 days, but IBA had little effect on rooting. Variation in rooting among hypocotyls from both half- and full-sib families was highly significant in response to IBA, and rooting did not occur within 20 days unless IBA was applied. Hypocotyls from poor rooting families tended to produce fewer roots per cutting than hypocotyls from good rooting families. Rooting by woody cuttings and hypocotyl cuttings from the same nine full-sib families was weakly correlated, raising the possibility that at least some common genetically controlled processes were affecting rooting by both types of cutting. The phytotropin N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), supplied at 1 micro M with 10 micro M IBA, significantly inhibited rooting by hypocotyl cuttings from both good and poor rooting families, but there was no significant family x treatment interaction. Family variation in rooting ability may be a function of the frequency of occurrence of auxin-responsive cells in the hypocotyls.     

Clonal propagation of Pterocarpus santalinoides L'Hér. ex DC.: the effect of substrate,cutting type,genotype and auxin

Pterocarpus santalinoides is a multipurpose tree species, native to Africa and South America. However, excessive pruning for fodder is jeopardising its seed production leading to poor regeneration in the Sahel region. Efficient vegetative propagation techniques may overcome this concern. To address this issue, four experiments were conducted to determine the effects of substrate (Experiment 1), cutting type (Experiments 2 and 3), genotype (Experiment 4) and auxins (Experiments 1, 2, and 4) on rooting ability in a non-mist propagating unit in Mali. Among the four tested substrates, no significant differences were found in rooting parameters, including the percentage of rooted cuttings, the number of roots and secondary roots per rooted cutting, and the length of the longest root per rooted cutting. Semi-hardwood cuttings rooted significantly better than softwood cuttings with a higher percentage of rooted cuttings (31.7?±?6.5% vs. 9.2?±?2.7%), greater number of roots (8.2?±?4.8 vs 1.5?±?0.7), greater number of secondary roots (16.7?±?4.2 vs 4.6?±?1.8) and longer root length (17.8?±?12.0?cm vs 2.3?±?1.0?cm) per rooted cutting. In addition, one-node cuttings cut below the second and third nodes, respectively, had the highest rooting success (88% and 90%, respectively) followed by cuttings cut below the fourth node (68%) and the first node (62%). Significant differences in the percentage of rooted cuttings were found among 12 randomly selected genotypes with rooting varying from 2% to 75%.The results also showed that auxin application, especially IBA, had a significant effect on rooting success, the number of roots and secondary roots per rooted cutting. Single-node cuttings, and cuttings of 10?cm length with multiple softwood and semi-hardwood nodes, can be used with or without auxin treatment for successful clonal propagation of P. santalinoides. The results of the present study indicated that P. santalinoides is amenable to clonal propagation using low-cost propagators and sand-based rooting media.     

Vegetative propagation of African Mahogany: effects of auxin, node position, leaf area and cutting length

Applied auxin, node position, leaf area and cutting length were examined to investigate the requirements for rooting stem cuttings of Khaya ivorensis. All these variables were shown to be important factors affecting rooting, confirming the hypothesis that successful rooting can be achieved if these primary variables are optimised.The best concentration of the auxin IBA was found to be 200 g per cutting, which hastened rooting, increased the percentage of cuttings rooted and increased the number of roots per cutting. One clone (8013) was unresponsive to auxins in terms of the percentage of cuttings rooted, but was the most responsive in terms of the numbers of roots per cutting. A greater percentage of cuttings from basal nodes were rooted than from apical nodes. Cuttings cut squarely at the base produced a radially-arranged root system, whereas an oblique cut resulted in a one-sided root system.Trimming the leaf area of cuttings to 10 cm² gave greater rooting percentages than trimming to 100 cm². In general, long cuttings (39 mm) rooted better than short cuttings (19 mm), however, there was an interaction between leaf area and cutting length, in which cuttings with short stems and large leaves had the lowest rooting percentage.     

Rooting of juvenile succulent cuttings from haif‐sib families of Picea abies

Leader shoots from juvenile succulent Norway spruce seedlings were used as cuttings 11 weeks after sowing. The seedlings were grown for 6 additional weeks and then apically dominant and lateral shoots were also used as cuttings. These three cutting categories, leaders, dominants and laterals, rooted 99.4, 99.0 and 97.5 % respectively and performed differently with respect to rooting development, number of roots per cutting and response to IBA and PIBA treatments (synthetic auxins). A large individual variation in number of roots per cutting, which auxin treatments did not reduce, was present within each cutting categoty. Laterals from the three different families included in the study showed a different variation than did leaders and dominants. Generally, the juvenile succulent cuttings were easy to root. Seedlings grown at a rather high light intensity (62 W/m²) had the potential to give good rooting even without hormonal treatments.     

Distinct effects of auxin and light on adventitious root development in Eucalyptus saligna and Eucalyptus globulus

Adventitious rooting is essential for vegetative propagation of woody species. We studied the effects of auxin and light on the development of adventitious roots in cuttings obtained from seedlings of Eucalyptus saligna Smith and E. globulus Labill in an attempt to characterize the adventitious rooting process and identify factors controlling rhizogenesis. Root development was scored as rooting percentage, root density (roots per rooted cutting), mean rooting time and root length. In both species, rooting time was reduced in the presence of auxin. Cuttings from 2-month-old E. saligna seedlings were responsive to lower auxin concentrations than comparable cuttings from E. globulus seedlings. Cuttings from 3-month-old E. saligna seedlings rooted promptly and rooting was not significantly affected by light conditions. In contrast, rooting of cuttings from 3-month-old E. globulus seedlings exhibited recalcitrant behavior and no roots were formed if illuminated during the root formation phase. Effective root regeneration of E. globulus cuttings was obtained by a 4-day exposure to 10 mg l(-1) IBA and culture in darkness during the root formation step. Loss of rooting capacity with seedling age was more pronounced in E. globulus than in E. saligna. The possibility of switching adventitious rooting off and on by manipulating light regime and exogenous auxin supply in E. globulus, and the constitutive nature of rooting in E. saligna may provide useful models for examining the rooting process at the biochemical and molecular levels in Eucalyptus.     

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.     

全光照自动喷雾条件下毛红椿嫩枝扦插正交试验分析

在全光照自动喷雾条件下通过正交实验L9（34）,2013年4~6月研究插穗粗度、插穗长度、激素处理时间和基质4个因素对1年生毛红椿嫩枝扦插的影响。结果表明,毛红椿嫩枝扦插生根均属皮部生根型,不同处理对嫩枝扦插生根、苗木生长均有显著影响,各因素对发根数量影响大小依次为插穗粗度〉插穗长度〉激素处理时间〉基质,对最长根长度、生根率、根系效果指数的主次效应均是基质〉插穗粗度〉插穗长度〉激素处理时间,插穗粗度是扦插发根数量的决定因素,基质对扦插生根起重要的主导作用。本次扦插最佳组合为：插穗粗度0.31~0.4 cm、长度4.1~6 cm、300倍根太阳生根剂浸泡5 s、膨化蛭石＋泥炭土3∶1基质,扦插生根成活率高达95.1%,将有利于毛红椿嫩技扦插的规模化设施育苗。     

Influence of gibberellic acid and stock plant irradiance on carbohydrate content and rooting in cuttings of Scots pine seedlings (Pinus sylvestris L.)

Seedlings of Pinus sylvestris L. were grown at three different irradiances (12, 30, or 60 W m(-2)) under a 17 h photoperiod. After six weeks, cuttings were excised and rooted at 30 W m(-2). Gibberellic acid (GA(3), 5 microl of 2 x 10(-4) or 2 x 10(-3) M) was applied to each cutting immediately after excision. Cuttings from stock plants grown at the low irradiance rooted most quickly, whereas the highest number of roots per cutting was obtained in cuttings from stock plants grown at 30 W m(-2). Gibberellic acid delayed rooting and reduced the number of roots in cuttings from stock plants grown at 12, 30, or 60 W m(-2). The initial carbohydrate content of cuttings increased with stock plant irradiance. For all carbohydrates, except myoinositol and an unknown inositol derivative, the content per cutting increased during the first 28 days of rooting. The GA(3) treatment significantly reduced the starch content of cuttings during the rooting period, but did not significantly change the content of ethanol soluble carbohydrates.     

Effect of position,size of cuttings and environmental factors on adventitious rooting in neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss)

The effect of adventitious rooting of proximal and distal position of cuttings of neem of different length and diameter (with 1000 ppm IBA treatment) was studied. Cuttings from the distal end rooted better than the proximal end, probably due to higher endogenous auxin level. Cuttings of 25 cm length and 0.5 cm diameter from the distal end gave 100% rooting. The percentage of rooting decreased significantly when the length of the cutting was reduced, and no rooting was observed in 5 cm long cuttings irrespective of the position, suggesting a sub-optimal level of endogenous auxin and other root-inducing factors in small cuttings. Low radiation may have had a significant role in the induction of rooting.     

Influence of irradiance on water relations and carbon flux during rooting of Shorea leprosula leafy stem cuttings

Single-node leafy stem cuttings of Shorea leprosula Miq. were subjected to a high, intermediate or low irradiance treatment for 16 weeks in an enclosed mist propagation system. Before rooting, maximum photosynthesis of the cuttings occurred at an irradiance of 400 micro mol m(-2) s(-1). Although none of the irradiance treatments affected the number of roots produced per cutting, the numbers of cuttings that formed roots were 50 and 30% in the high irradiance (diurnal range of 0-658 micro mol m(-2) s(-1)) and low irradiance (diurnal range of 0-98 micro mol m(-2) s(-1)) treatments, respectively, compared with 62% in the intermediate irradiance treatment (diurnal range of 0-360 micro mol m(-2) s(-1)). Low rooting frequency of cuttings in the high irradiance treatment was associated with water deficits (maximum leaf-to-air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) = 3.6 kPa), whereas cuttings in the low irradiance treatment had a low rooting frequency because they were below the light compensation point most of the time. In the intermediate irradiance treatment, cuttings withstood a daily maximum VPD of 1-2 kPa and recovered overnight from the previous day's deficit, as indicated by higher relative water content (RWC) and stomatal conductance (g(s)) in the morning than in the previous afternoon and evening. Higher RWC and g(s) of cuttings in all treatments on Days 14 and 21 compared with Day 8 probably indicated recovery from water deficit following severance and insertion of the cuttings in rooting medium. There were negative relationships between stem volume of cuttings and both number of cuttings that rooted and number of roots per cutting.     

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.     

Physiological studies for tropical tree improvement and conservation. Factors affecting root initiation in cuttings of Triplochiton scleroxylon K. Schum.

Applying auxins to freshly cut basal ends of leafy single-node cuttings of Triplochiton scleroxylon, an important timber tree of West Africa, considerably enhanced rooting percentages. The optimal concentrations in 10 μl MeOH droplets of a 50 : 50 mixture of α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) ranged from 8–40 μg according to clone. Larger amounts, which tended to increase numbers of roots per rooted cutting, inhibited root production in some clones. When applied singly, IBA was more effective than NAA in most clones.Leafless cuttings rarely rooted even when treated with auxins. Rooting occurred following the retention of 5 cm² of leaf lamina, and was maximal, as judged by rooting percentages, with 50 cm². The inability of leafless cuttings to root was associated with the rapid depletion of all carbohydrates in stem tissues, while those in unshaded leafy cuttings tended to increase.Percentages of cuttings rooting increased when temperatures of propagating-beds were raised above 20°C, and 28°C was optimal for most clones, especially if treated with auxins. Cutting survival declined above 28°C, although up to 38°C surviving cuttings rooted equally well.     

Vegetative propagation of Prunus africana: effects of rooting medium, auxin concentrations and leaf area

The region of West and Central Africa is endowed with high-value fruit trees and medicinal plants, which are currently traded locally as well as on regional and international markets. Unfortunately, they are all exploited from the wild and there has been little or no focussed effort to domesticate and cultivate them. Prunus africana is one of these important medicinal plant under domestication. A series of nursery experiments were conducted to assess the effects of rooting medium (sawdust, sand and a 50:50 mixture of sand and sawdust), auxin concentration (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 μg IBA), and leaf area (0, 5, 10, 20, and 25 cm²) on rooting success of juvenile cuttings of P. africana. The percentage of cuttings rooted was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in sawdust (80%), than in sand alone (72%) or in mixture with sawdust (71%). Leaf area also significantly affected the percentage of rooting. Leafless cuttings did not root and were all dead by week 6, but in leafy cuttings rooting ability increased proportionally with leaf area up to 20 cm² (79%). Larger leaf cuttings (25 cm²) rooted at the same level as those of 20 cm². The cuttings with the largest leaves also had the greatest mean number of roots per cutting (14 roots cutting⁻¹), while those with the smallest (5 cm²) leaf area produced the fewest roots (5 roots cutting⁻¹). The application of auxin (IBA) promoted rooting (P < 0.05) up to an optimum application of 100–200 μg IBA per cutting, but 300 μg was supraoptimal. It can be concluded that P. africana is amenable to vegetative propagation. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

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.     

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.     

Effects of IBA and NAA treatments on rooting Douglas-fir stem cuttings

The effectiveness of six IBA and fourNAA concentrations, four combinations of IBA and NAAconcentrations, and control were tested for theirability to enhance rooting frequency (%) ofDouglas-fir cuttings. Two IBA and one NAA treatmentswere also compared to the control for quality of rootsystem. Between 1984 and 1998, six independentstudies were conducted in mist or fog environmentswith the same 11 or 14 clones. Auxin concentrationstested ranged from 0 to 123 mM IBA and 0 to 10 mM NAA. Auxin, clone, and auxin by clone effects weresignificant in every study, although individual cloneanalyses showed only two clones to differsignificantly for auxin. All auxin treatments but the10 uM NAA treatment induced significantly greaterrooting percentage than the control, but no singleauxin, auxin concentration or combination of auxinswas clearly superior in every study. The 10 mM NAAconcentration was the only concentration tested thatreduced rooting percentage to less than the control. Both NAA and IBA appeared to have broad ranges ofroot-enhancing activity. However, within theeffective range of IBA evaluated, 24.6 mM produced thegreatest rooting percentage in four of five studiestesting IBA. NAA solutions with concentrationsbetween 2.5 and 7.4 mM NAA generally resulted insimilar rooting success. Rooting responses toincreased IBA and NAA were both nonlinear; rootingdecreased with both too little and too much auxin. Combinations of IBA and NAA in the same solution didnot increase rooting percentage above what wasachieved with one auxin. For root system quality,auxin treated cuttings in one study, had significantlybetter root systems than control, but there was nodifference in the other study in which root qualitywas estimated.     

Mist, substrate water potential and cutting water potential influence rooting of stem cuttings of loblolly pine

We investigated the influence of cutting water potential (Psicut) on rooting of juvenile hardwood (dormant) and softwood (succulent) stem cuttings of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) propagated under varying substrate water potentials (Psisub) and volumes of mist application. Mist treatment and Psisub contributed to the Psicut of unrooted stem cuttings. When Psisub was held constant across mist treatments, mist treatment contributed strongly to Psicut. Substrate water potential affected rooting percentage when mist treatment was sub-optimal or excessive, otherwise mist treatment had a stronger effect than Psisub on rooting percentage. Cuttings rooted best when subjected to moderate cutting water potentials (-0.5 to -1.2 MPa) during the initial 4 or 5 weeks of the rooting period. Cuttings experiencing either severe water deficit or no water deficit rooted poorly. We conclude that the rooting environment should impose a moderate water stress on loblolly pine stem cuttings to achieve optimum rooting.     

Variation in Shoot Anatomy and Rooting Behaviour of Stem Cuttings in Relation to Age of Donor Plants in Teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.)

Shoot anatomical features viz., number of vessel elements, width and length of vessel and fibre elements were studied in relation to juvenility/maturity of teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.). The findings show significant differences in these features, which indicates that variation in shoot anatomy can be used as a reliable indicator of juvenility/maturity in teak. The effect of age of donor plants and application of auxins on adventitious root formation in single noded leafy stem cuttings of teak was also investigated. Aging of donor trees suppressed rooting and sprouting of cuttings, but increased callus formation at the base of cuttings. Per cent rooting and per cent sprouting in cuttings decreased as age of donor plants increased from 2-months to 15-years and up to 30-years. IBA treatment promoted per cent rooting as well as per cent sprouting, NAA promoted only rooting and it suppressed sprouting. The effect of auxin treatment on rooting and sprouting of teak stem cuttings varied with the age of donor plants. Auxin and its concentration, which suppressed rooting and sprouting in cuttings of younger donor plants, actually promoted rooting when cuttings were taken from more mature donor plants. It appears that the auxin requirement for causing and promoting rooting in teak cuttings increased with increasing age of donor plants. The higher auxin requirement for causing and promoting rooting in cuttings of older trees may be due to a decrease in the content on endogenous auxins or decreased sensitivity of aging tissues to rooting promoters and /or accumulation of inhibitory substances which inhibit rooting.     

A comparison of pre-planting treatments on hardwood cuttings of four hybrid poplar clones

Rooting and early growth of four hybrid poplar clones (Populus spp.) planted in a greenhouse were examined after applying 40 pre-rooting treatment combinations to dormant cuttings. Treatments included 2 cutting lengths (5 and 10 cm), 5 soaking times (0, 2, 4, 8, and 12 days), and 4 dips (chitosan, rooting hormone powder, liquid rooting hormone added to the soaking water, and none). Significant differences in both rooting percentages and growth were shown between clones after 7 weeks of growth. Ten cm cuttings had 29% greater rooting success, 28% more above-ground growth, and 12% lower root/shoot ratios than 5 cm cuttings. Cuttings planted without soaking had the lowest rooting success, at less than 45% on average. Commercial rooting hormones decreased the number of rooted cuttings but increased root/shoot ratios. For optimal rooting, we recommend using 10 cm cuttings, soaked for 2 days in water (4 days for the Jackii10 clone) without any additional dipping/hormone substance.