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.     

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. Biography: Mumtaz Majeed (1980– ), male, post graduate in Faculty of Forestry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science & Technology, Shalimar, Srinagar - 191 121, J&K, India.     

Effects of leaf area and auxin on rooting and growth of rooted stem cuttings of neem

Green stem cuttings, obtained from 2-year old managed stockplants, with 30, 50 or 100% leaf area were rooted in a non-mist propagator following treatment with 0, 0.2, 0.4 or 0.8% IBA solution. The rooted cuttings were transferred to polythene pots and grown in a nursery for 12 weeks. Rooting percentages of IBA treated cuttings did not significantly differ from those of control cuttings. Likewise leaf area did not significantly influence the percentage of cuttings that rooted. The effects of leaf area and/or IBA treatment in the propagation unit were manifested on the growth of rooted cuttings in polythene pots. Number of roots increased with the increase in IBA concentration and this response was enhanced by increasing leaf area. Root biomass increased with the increase in leaf area even in the control cuttings. Root development was highly influenced by the leaf area and IBA, and hence the growth of rooted cuttings. Cuttings treated with 0.2 or 0.4% IBA at 100% leaf area yielded the best performing rooted cuttings.     

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.     

Bulk method of hardwood cutting propagation ofLarix olgensis

Larix olgensis is a major reforestation species in areas of the northeast part of China. Rooted cutting for vegetative propagation on this Larch has been carried out since 1990, and later the bulk method of hardwood cutting propagation also has been studied. The result is as follows: (1) Cuttings from physiologically juvenile trees are easy to root, and develop better roots. In addition, there are many methods to enhance the cuttings rooting. (2) The good time for seedling transplanting is in the middle of August. Treatments with plant hormones and rare-earth compounds can improve the seedling survival rate, and the survival rate of the seedlings soaked in chelate rare-earth molybdenum compound (300×10⁻⁶) for 3 hours reached 94.00%, 19.49% higher than that of the control. (3) Methods of maintaining juvenility such as hedging, is essential to further developments for operational planting of vegetative propagates. Hedges in 5 years old can produce 91.75 shoots per tree, exceeding the control to 152.2%. (Responsible Editor: Zhu Hong)     

Effect of cutting position on rooting and shoot growth of two poplar clones

One-year-old shoots from stooling beds of Populus × deltoides Walker and Populus jackii Northwest were collected in late fall to determine the effect of cutting position on rooting and growth of hardwood poplar cuttings. Cuttings with a minimum diameter of 9.0 mm were obtained from basal, middle and distal locations on the poplar shoot. Rooting and shoot growth were assessed in the greenhouse and under field conditions. Walker poplar cuttings collected from basal portions of the shoot and planted in the field had 87.6% rooting and 103.8 cm growth compared to 78.8% and 103.4 cm and 67.6% and 88.8 cm for middle and distal locations respectively. For Northwest rooting and growth under field conditions was 84.4% and 94.7 cm for basal, 78.4% and 90.5 cm for mid and 64.4% and 84.3 cm for distal locations. Rooting in the greenhouse was superior to the field. Walker cuttings had fewer roots and buds per cutting than Northwest, however, growth of Walker in the field was superior.     

In vitro propagation of a medicinal plant: Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f.

In this study a reliable protocol was developed for the establishment of commercial in vitro cultures of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f.. Juvenile shoots from one-year-old elite plants were used as the source of explants. New axillary shoots were obtained after 30 days of culture on a MS medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg·L^–1) and NAA (0.1 mg·L^–1). The optimal multiplication medium was a modified MS medium supplemented with BAP (1.0 mg·L^–1) and NAA (0.1 mg·L^–1). This yielded a multiplication rate of 2.4 for each subculture. Slightly more than 92% of shoots rooted when cultured on a modified MS medium containing IBA (0.2 mg·L^–1) and acti-vated charcoal (0.5 mg·L^–1). Activated charcoal promoted both a strong and a high rooting rate during the rooting phase. Plantlets were transferred to pots for a short acclimatization stage in a greenhouse where 95% of the plantlets survived. This highly reproduci-ble procedure can be adopted for large-scale propagation of T. wilfordii.     

Vegetative propagation of Dalbergia sissoo: effect of growth regulators, length, position of shoot and type of cuttings on rooting potential in stem cuttings

The effect of auxins (IAA or IBA at 100,200,500 mg L 1) on rooting and sprouting parameters differed significantly (p < 0.05).Rooting and sprouting percentages were higher in some treatments while other parameters were significantly higher in other treatments.The results of the present study revealed that rooting was significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the length of cuttings,as well as the position of shoots and type of cuttings.On average,86.0 per cent rooting was observed in the 30-cm long cuttings compared to the other two lengths of cuttings,i.e.,20 and 25 cm,irrespective of any auxin treatment.In a control set,without any auxin treatment,a maximum of 60.0% rooting was recorded in the 30-cm long cuttings and a minimum of 40.0% of the cuttings rooted in the 20-cm long cuttings.Similarly,cuttings collected from the lower and upper portions of shoots resulted in 72.5 and 52.5 per cent rooting respectively,irrespective of auxin treatments.Maximum rooting was observed in the lower portion (40.0%) of cutting compared to the upper portion (30.0%) in the control set without auxin treatment.Leafless branches produced maximum (72.0%) rooting compared to the leafy cuttings (35.0%),irrespective of the auxin treatment.The leafy cuttings produces a minimum of 15.0% sprouting and rooting in the control set.     

Vegetative propagation studies of gum arabic trees. 1. Propagation of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd. using lignified cuttings of small diameter with eight nodes

In order to study and monitor rates of rooting, callusing and survival, small diameter stem cuttings (less than 0.4 cm) with eight nodes (12–14 cm long) were taken from trees in the field at different times of the year in tests with small batches of cuttings. Among the four tested substrates, well drained crushed basalt powder placed on a bed of gravel was the best rooting medium. Rooting was generally poor or even non-existent with this type of cutting, but the presence of leaves both promoted rooting and significantly (using Chi square test) improved survival of the cutting. Four leaves were sufficient to assure the necessary metabolic functions. Only stem cuttings collected during the rainy season gave roots and then, only when hormonal treatments were applied to the cuttings. 8%-IBA resulted in significantly better rooting than did 2%-IBA, 0.2%-NAA and 1%-IAA. With 8%-IBA, the rate of rooting varied between 50 and 70% for leafy cuttings collected in the rainy season. Hormonal treatments had a significant effect on the survival rate of the stem cuttings during the two months observation period. Further investigations are being conducted with different types of cuttings.     

Vegetative propagation of Ziziphus mauritiana var. Gola by micrografting and its potential for dissemination in the Sahelian Zone

The jujube tree (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam., Rhamnaceae family) is an exotic species which is commonly found in the Sahelian and Sudanian areas of Africa. A programme was undertaken in Senegal to introduce domesticated varieties and adapt them to the edaphic and climatic specificities of the Sahel. Research focussed on the ‘Gola’ variety, multiplied by an in vitro micrografting technique which is a miniaturisation of the apex splice, involving the aseptic grafting of miniature scions (5 to 10 mm long) onto the hypocotyl of seedlings in vitro. Studies reported here include the choice and preparation of rootstock, the micrografting technique, acclimation of the grafts, and transplantation to the field. The outcome of this research is the achievement of successful establishment of over 80% of the micrografts. However, more work is required to evaluate the transferability of the techniques through a study of their economic viability, as well as their acceptability to local people. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Allelopathy in agroforestry systems: the effects of leaf extracts ofCupressus lusitanica and threeEucalyptus spp. on four Ethiopian crops

The potential allelopathic effect ofCupressus lusitanica, Eucalyptus globulus, E. camaldulensis andE. saligna on seed germination, radicle and seedling growth was investigated with four crops:Cicer arietinum (chickpea),Zea mays (maize),Pisum sativum (pea) andEragrostis tef (teff). Aqueous leaf extracts of all the tree species significantly reduced both germination and radicle growth of the majority of the crops mostly starting from concentrations of 1% or 2.5%. The shoot and root dry weight increase of the crops was significantly reduced after 10 weeks treatment with leaf extracts. Among the four crops, chickpea and teff were most susceptible with respect to germination, and teff with respect to growth. From the overall data the leaf extracts of the four tree species can be arranged according to increasing allelopathic potential:C. lusitanica, E. globulus, E. saligna andE. camaldulensis. It is suggested that the planting ofE. camaldulensis andE. saligna in integrated land use systems should be minimized, whereas the use ofC. lusitanica andE. globulus seems less environmentally damaging in this respect.     

Silvicultural systems for plantation mahogany in Africa: Influences of canopy shade on tree growth and pest damage

Overexploitation of the African mahoganies, Khaya anthotheca and K. ivorensis, could lead to their commercial extinction in the near future. Efforts to establish plantations to sustain supply have been discouraged by the shoot borer Hypsipyla robusta Moore. We hypothesized that there is a shade level at which Hypsipyla attack and branching are reduced, but height growth is adequate. We report on the growth of these African mahoganies and Hypsipyla attack under three different forest canopy shade levels: open (55% open sky), medium shade (26% open), and deep shade (11% open). Hypsipyla attack on K. anthotheca was 85%, 11%, and 0% attack in the open, medium, and deep shade treatments, respectively. However, growth in medium and deep shade was slow. Mean tree height for K. anthotheca was 413.8, 126.2, and 54.5 cm in the open, medium and deep shade treatments, respectively. K. ivorensis showed similar trends. The reduced growth under these shade levels limit the use of this strategy for controlling Hypsipyla attack.     

Vegetative propagation of two endemic species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cloezia</Emphasis> Brongn. &; Gris for conservation and mining revegetation activities in New Caledonia

A study to determine the best vegetative propagation protocol was carried out for two species of the endemic genus Cloezia for conservation and mining revegetation activities in New Caledonia. Effects of clonal capacities and auxin treatments on rooting of C. buxifolia and C. aquarum semi-hardwood cuttings taken from wild populations were evaluated in four experiments. Different phenotypes varied in their capacity to root (from 0 to more than 80%) and this underlines the importance of collecting cuttings from different plants when revegetation programs are based on vegetative propagation. The experiments evaluated the effectiveness of IBA at 5, 10 and 20 g kg⁻¹, IAA at 5 and 10 g kg⁻¹ and NAA at 1 and 2 g kg⁻¹ treatments to enhance rooting of C. buxifolia tip cuttings and C. aquarum tip and stem cuttings compared to control cuttings with no applied auxin. With the exception of IAA, auxin treatments enhanced the percentage of cuttings with roots and significantly improved the number of roots per cutting and root length. In this study, the best treatment is 10 g kg⁻¹ IBA for C. buxifolia. For C. aquarum, 20 g kg⁻¹ IBA significantly enhances quantitatively and qualitatively rooting of both tip and stem cuttings.

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Résumé  Cette étude porte sur la définition d’un protocole de multiplication végétative optimale de deux espèces du genre endémique Cloezia dans un but de conservation et de revégétalisation en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Quatre essais visent à déterminer les potentialités clonales de différents individus et l’effet de divers traitements hormonaux sur l’enracinement de boutures de C. buxifolia et C. aquarum. L’enracinement des boutures dépend du pied-mère sur lesquelles elles sont récoltées et peut varier de 0 à plus de 80%, ce qui indique l’intérêt de la méthode d’échantillonnage lors de la collecte des boutures. L’effet de traitements hormonaux à base d’AIB, AIA et ANA à différentes concentrations, respectivement de 5, 10 et 20 g kg⁻¹, 5 et 10 g kg⁻¹ et 1 et 2 g kg⁻¹ est également étudié sur des boutures de tête de C. buxifolia et des boutures de tête et de tige de C. aquarum. Ces traitements améliorent le pourcentage d’enracinement et augmentent significativement le nombre de racines produites et la longueur des racines des boutures de Cloezia, à l’exception des traitements à base d’AIA. Dans cette étude, le meilleur traitement est 10 g kg⁻¹ d’AIB pour C. buxifolia et 20 g kg⁻¹ d’AIB pour C. aquarum.

     

The introduction ofCornus stolonifera and its propagation techniques

Cornus stolonifera is a ornamental tree species which was introdced to China in 1982. During the period of ten-year experiment a complete and systematic study on its botanical features, biological charcteristics, growth rhythm and propagation techniques was carried out on basis of the comparison withthe native speciesCorrns alba. The research results showedthatCornus stolonifera has many advantages overCornus alba in those such as fast growing, cold endurance, drought resistance, easy propagation.disease and pest-resistance, beautiful tree form, bright colour branches, long florescence, persistant fruits and integrate visual effects. Practice has proved that it is reslly a fine species for tree-planting. Not only does it have the function of water conservation, but also its branches can be used as a fine weaving material. Up to the present, about ten thousand plant stocks have been planted by more than 30 units in 11 cities of 6 provinces and it has been well recieved by people.     

Vegetative propagation of Ulmus villosa: effects of plant growth regulators,collection time,type of donor and position of shoot on adventitious root formation in stem cuttings

Techniques for the vegetative propagation of Ulmus villosa, an indigenous agroforestry tree species of the north-western sub-Himalayas, were developed. Studies investigated the effects on rooting of stem cuttings of growth regulators with sucrose and fungicide (0%, 0.2% p-HBA + 5% sucrose + 5% captan, and IBA concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 1.0% plus each containing, 0.2% p-HBA + 5% sucrose + 5% captan). Cuttings were collected at two times of the year (February and July) from two types of stock plant (seedling and mature trees) and from two positions within the shoots (lower and upper nodes). Cuttings collected in February were leafless, while those collected in July had about 80 cm² leaf areas. These cuttings were then set under a mist unit. Percentage rooting and primary root number differed significantly between treated and untreated cuttings. Treatment of cuttings with chemical formulations of 0.4% IBA + 0.2% p-HBA + 5% sucrose + 5% captan maximized rooting (82.0%), while, survival (80%) and primary root number (14.7) were greatest with: (i) 0.6% IBA + 0.2% p-HBA + 5% sucrose + 5% captain and (ii) 0.8% IBA + 0.2% p-HBA + 5% sucrose + 5% captan, respectively. Rooting success and root number were better in propagules set in February rather than in July. Cuttings from seedlings rooted better, with more roots ensuring better survival, than cuttings from mature trees (12–13-years-old). In cuttings from seedlings, those cuttings collected from the lower part of the shoots had greater percentage rooting and primary root number than those from the upper part. Maximum root regeneration (100%), roots number (19.0), and survival (98.5%) were achieved when the time of collection (February) and shoot position were optimized. Rooting was best when cuttings had higher levels of sugar, total carbohydrate and peroxidase enzyme activity, and low N.     

Loblolly pine cutting morphological traits: Effects on rooting and field performance

Shoot cuttings were harvested fromfour-year-old, loblolly pine hedges in March andSeptember of 1987, and placed into a series offactorial combinations of cutting length, diameterclass, and the presence/absence of a terminal bud toassess effects on rooting and field performance.Average rooting in the March trial was 50 percent andonly 20 percent for the September trial; however, thebest treatment in March yielded 100 percent rooting.Terminal bud status did not appear to influencepercent rooting. Shorter cuttings (5.1 or 7.6 cm)with an average diameter of 2 or 3 mm tended to rootbetter and develop more roots. Field performance ofthe rooted cuttings through age five suggests that theoriginal cutting does not require a terminal bud, butthe best set of morphological traits differ dependingon bud status. Considering both rooting ability andfield growth with an original tip bud present, thebest cutting dimensions were 5.1 or 7.6 cm long and 2or 3 mm in diameter. Without a tip bud present,cutting dimensions were restricted to 7.6 or 10.2 cmlong and 3 mm in diameter. Number of main roots wasa weak predictor of tree height or dbh at age five.     

The Imperata grasslands of tropical Asia: area, distribution, and typology

The rehabilitation or intensified use of Imperata grasslands will require a much better understanding of their area, distribution, and characteristics. We generated estimates of the area of Imperata grasslands in tropical Asia, and suggested a typology of Imperata grasslands that may be useful to define the pathways toward appropriate land use intensification. We conclude that the area of Imperata grasslands in Asia is about 35 million ha. This about 4% of the total land area. The countries with the largest area of Imperata grasslands are Indonesia (8.5 million ha) and India (8.0 million ha). Those with the largest proportion of their surface area covered with Imperata are Sri Lanka (23%), the Philippines (17%), and Vietnam (9%). Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Bangladesh evidently all have similar proportions of their land area infested with Imperata (about 3 to 4%). Malaysia (< 1%), Cambodia (1%), and the southern part of China (2%) have but a minor proportion of their total land area in Imperata. The species was found widely distributed on the full range of soil orders. It occupied both fertile (e.g. some of the Inceptisols and Andisols) and infertile soils (Ultisols and Oxisols) across a wide range of climates and elevations. Imperata lands fall into four mapping scale-related categories: Mega-grasslands, itmacro-grasslands, meso-grasslands, and micro-grasslands. The mega-grasslands are often referred to as sheet Imperata. They are the large contiguous areas of Imperata that would appear on small-scale maps of say 1:1,000,000. We propose that this basic typology be supplemented with a number of additional components that have a key influence on intensification pathways: land quality, market access, and the source of power for tillage. The typology was applied in a case study of Indonesian villages in the vicinity of Imperata grasslands. We propose an international initiative to map and derive a more complete and uniform picture of the area of the Imperata grasslands. This should include selected studies to understand conditions at the local level. These are critical to build the appreciation of change agents for the indigenous systems of resource exploitation, and how they relate to local needs, values and constraints.     

Embryo culture and rapid propagation of Syringa

Embryo of lilacs (Syringa L) culture in vitro and the rapid propagation were studied. The orthogonal experiments, including the selection of basal medium, embryo age and other factors such as sugar, benzyladenine (BA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and glutamine (Gln), were carried out. The results indicated that the optimal medium for embryo culture was Monnier medium supplemented with NAA (0.001 mg.L^-1), BA (0.1 mg.L^-1), sugar (50 g.L^-1), and Gin (400 mg.L^-1), with a germination rate of 91.7% at least; the optimal embryo age was 50 d; and Gln had significant effects on the germination rate of embryo.Moreover, the optimal medium for subculture was MS BA (2 mg.L^-1) NAA (0.001 mg.L^-1) Gln (0.5 mg.L^-1), with the propagation coefficient of 3.6 at least.     

Application of the pipe model theory to non-destructive estimation of leaf biomass and leaf area of pruned agroforestry trees

The relationship of branch cross sectional area (CS) to leaf biomass (LM) and leaf area (LA) was studied in three agroforestry tree species,Calliandra calothyrsus Maissn.,Erythrina berteroana Urban andErythrina poeppigiana (Walpers) O.F. Cook, to develop a non-destructive method for the estimation of LM and LA for trees managed with periodic pruning. Variation in these relationships was observed according to the bifurcation level and, in theErythrina spp., by clone. All the relationships were linear except the CS-LM relation in small branches ofE. poeppigiana, where it was initially exponential. At main branch level the relationship of CS to LM and LA was linear in all cases but the regression parameter values varied between species and clones, with determination coefficient (R²) 0.88–0.99. It was concluded that the ratio of main branch CS to LM and LA can be used for non-destructive estimation of the latter variables. The method has the additional benefit that the regression parameter value reflects the allocation of dry matter within a tree and, consequently, may give indications about its possible uses in different agroforestry systems.Work carried out at the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), Turrialba, Costa Rica.     

Root diseases in bareroot and container nurseries of the Pacific Northwest: epidemiology, management, and effects on outplanting performance

In forest and conservation nurseries in the Pacific Northwest USA, seedling production can be limited by root diseases caused by fungi in the genera Fusarium Link:Fr., Cylindrocarpon Wollenw., Phytophthora de Barry, and Pythium Pringsh. Fusarium, Cylindrocarpon, and Pythium are the most ubiquitous, whereas incidence of Phytophthora is mostly associated with coastal bareroot nurseries. All of these root pathogens are encouraged by water saturated soils or media. Seedlings infected with Fusarium, Phytophthora, or Pythium often appear chlorotic or necrotic with extensive root decay. Cylindrocarpon often causes serious root decay without shoot symptoms. The best approach to mitigate losses from these diseases is to use a holistic integrated pest management program. This program should combine chemical controls with cultural practices, particularly those that increase soil permeability and drainage and reduce potential sources of inoculum, especially by disinfesting seeds and containers reused for crops. In general, we found that seedlings meeting nursery specifications for outplanting on forest soil (proper height, root collar diameter, healthy shoot color, lack of disease symptoms) but having these disease organisms on their root systems perform as well as non-infected seedlings.