Cutting propagation of common cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.)

Abstract

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.