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.     

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.     

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.     

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 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.     

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 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.     

Vegetative propagation of Calliandra calothyrsus (Meissner)

The effects of propagation medium and the type of auxin on root and shoot development of stem cuttings of Calliandra calothyrsus were investigated in two experiments. Cuttings were taken from four-week-old coppice shoots from a cleared C. calothyrsus plantation. In Experiment 1, the effects of five propagation media; fine sand (FS) (3 mm), sawdust (SD), fine gravel (FG) (6 mm) and 50:50 mixtures of FS:SD and FG:SD were compared. In Experiment 2, two commercial brands of auxin rooting powder – ‘Seradix 3’ (IBA) and ‘Bouture CF’ (NAA, IBA and MNAA) were evaluated. The experiments were done in a low-cost, non-mist propagator system in Cameroon. Propagation medium had a significant (P = 0.05) effect on mean rooting percentage (FS = 43% and FS:SD = 93%). The effect of the media on shoot growth from the cuttings (height, basal diameter and root biomass) were also significant (P = 0.05). The application of both the commercial brands of auxin significantly enhanced rooting (84% for untreated cuttings and 91% for IBA- treated cuttings). Bouture CF promoted shoot development from the cuttings, while Seradix 3 inhibited shoot development. The results indicate that in the humid lowlands of Cameroon, where seed productivity of C. calothyrsus is known to be very poor, large-scale production of young plants using these techniques is possible. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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 <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.     

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.     

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 …