Physiological and biochemical aspects of successful stenting in Rosa hybrida L.: Role of rootstock

Abstract

Stenting is a commercial propagation method for roses that combines grafting and cutting in one action and the resulting plantlet is named ‘stentling’. Several physiological and biochemical factors can significantly influence graft union healing and adventitious root formation. The effect of rootstock and its cutting-prepared region have not been well studied for successful stenting. We provide a comprehensive overview of the physiological and biochemical aspects of the stenting process, utilizing rootstock positions as the source of variation among treatments. Morphophysiological and biochemical assays were performed to evaluate the effect of three different stem parts (bottom, middle, and top) of ‘Natal Briar’ as rootstock on graft union healing and adventitious root formation of the rose stentlings. When the rootstock originating from the bottom and middle positions improved the physiological, biochemical, and morphological responses of the stentling, significantly. In this regard, the improved biochemical properties, including total soluble sugars, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, peroxidase and lignin content seem to play a special role in the success of grafting and subsequently the adventitious root formation. Assessing morphophysiological and biochemical parameters paves the way for a better understanding of the mechanism of successful stenting.