Rooting biostimulants for Coffea arabica L. cuttings

Harianna Paula Alves De Azevedo,Joyce Doria Rodrigues,Douglas Alves Vidal,Alex Mendonça De Carvalho,Heloisa Oliveira Dos Santos

doi:10.25186/.v15i.1635

Harianna Paula Alves De Azevedo, Joyce Doria Rodrigues + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.25186/.v15i.1635

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Abstract

In the rooting process of Arabica coffee cuttings, plant hormones are used for inducing root formation. However, synthetic molecules cannot be used to form organic seedlings. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of nut grass extract and different concentrations and types of humic substances on Arabica coffee cuttings. Arabica coffee shoots were collected, and cuttings containing at least two buds were taken. The experiment had a three-factor design, 2 (without or with nut grass extract) x 2 (humic or fulvic acid) x 4 (0, 10, 25 and 50 mg.dm-³). The following vegetative data were evaluated: shoot height (cm), survival, remaining leaves, leaf pairs, vigor and number of shoots. The root length, area, volume, diameter, and fresh and dry mass were also evaluated. The enzyme activity of H+-ATPase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, alcohol dehydrogenase and esterase was also quantified. The results showed that the Arabica coffee cutting rooting rate was increased when treated with humic acid at a concentration of 10 mg.dm-³ in the presence of nut grass extract. The lowest oxidative stress was observed in the 10 mg.dm-³ humic and fulvic acid treatments, regardless of the use of the extract. Key words: Root system; IBA; humic acid; fulvic acid; shoots.

Highlights

Arabica coffee is entirely propagated via seeds since it is a crop with approximately 90% autogamy
The number of studies on the vegetative propagation of Arabica coffee cuttings has increased recently (Pereira et al, 2018; Rezende et al, 2017), but this method is still little used due to the difficulty of establishing a standardized methodology because there is a large variation among the cultivars in how they respond to the rooting process (Carvalho, 2008)
The current methodologies used for the rooting of Arabica coffee cuttings use auxins for inducing root formation, and these cuttings activate vascular cambium cells to promote the formation of adventitious roots in the cuttings (Hartmann et al, 2011)

Summary

Introduction

Arabica coffee is entirely propagated via seeds since it is a crop with approximately 90% autogamy. Because it is a perennial crop, healthy and well-developed seedlings are vital for the successful establishment of new crops. The number of studies on the vegetative propagation of Arabica coffee cuttings has increased recently (Pereira et al, 2018; Rezende et al, 2017), but this method is still little used due to the difficulty of establishing a standardized methodology because there is a large variation among the cultivars in how they respond to the rooting process (Carvalho, 2008). The current methodologies used for the rooting of Arabica coffee cuttings use auxins for inducing root formation, and these cuttings activate vascular cambium cells to promote the formation of adventitious roots in the cuttings (Hartmann et al, 2011). Synthetic molecules cannot be used for forming organic seedlings

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