Effect of Epidermal Mucous Secretion of Earthworms and other Selected Organic Substances on Rooting of Semi-Hardwood Cuttings of <em>Citrus aurantifolia</em> and Top Cuttings of <em>Dracaena sanderiana</em>

Abstract

A recent trend in plant growth and propagation is to use natural substances rather than synthetic plant growth regulators. Two experiments were conducted to find out the effect of epidermal mucous secretion (EMS) of earthworms and other organic substances including Aloe vera gel, coconut water and ripe banana on rooting of semi-hardwood cuttings of Citrus aurantifolia and top cuttings of Dracaena sanderiana compared to commercially available plant growth regulators (PGRs). Eleven treatments were prepared using sole application of EMS solution, Aloe vera gel, coconut water and ripe banana, and mixtures of EMS and other organic substances in two different ratios by allocating equal and more inputs from EMS. The present experiments were set up adopting a completely randomized design. The number of roots per cutting, total root length per cutting (cm), length of the longest root per cutting (cm) and root vigor score were recorded for both plant species where destructive sampling was done at two months after planting for C. aurantifolia and one and two months after planting for D. sanderiana. The number of roots per cutting, length of the longest root per cutting and the root vigor score were significantly greater in the control treatment that used commercially available PGR and the cuttings treated with EMS: coconut water (1:1) for C. aurantifolia suggesting the possibility to us EMS and coconut water mixture to substitute the PGR for root induction in C. aurantifolia. The number of roots, total root length and the length of the longest root per cutting were significantly high in the treatments administrated with Aloe vera gel, ripe banana, and a mixture of EMS: ripe bananas (1:1) together with the PGR at two months after planting for D. sanderiana. Hence, the ingredients listed above could be utilized as alternative organic substances to produce adventurous roots in D. sanderiana top cuttings as same as the PGR. The results of the present study could be extremely valuable for developing a unique organic rooting replacement for the synthetic root inducing materials for C. aurantifolia and D. sanderiana. Nonetheless, additional research is required to validate the results of this study.