Effects of growth hormones, rooting media and leaf size on juvenile stem cuttings of Buchholzia coriacea Engler

Abstract

Effects of growth hormones, rooting media and leaf size on juvenile stem cuttings of Buchholzia coriacea were investigated. Two hundred and sixteen single node cuttings were obtained from two month old seedlings of Buchholzia coriacea. Half had their leaves reduced while the remaining retained their original leaf size. Cuttings were treated with indole butyric acid (IBA), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and a combination of the hormones (IBA/NAA) at 0, 50, 100 and 150 mg/l and planted in three rooting media-topsoil, riversand and sawdust giving a 3 x 4 x 3 x 2 factorial design. Cuttings were assessed for percentage survival, number of roots, length of longest root and total root length. ANOVA was carried out on the data collected and LSD at 5% probability level used to compare significantly different means. Survival percentage of 96.3% was recorded. The highest mean values of 3.8 cm and 12.5 cm in root length and total root length were recorded in topsoil. Control had the highest number of roots - 4.8. Leaf size had a highly significant effect on the rooting of the cuttings as whole leaf rooted better than half leaves. Single node cuttings of Buchholzia coriacea is amenable to cloning with or without auxin treatment.