The Influence of Location of Main Stem Segment Origin on Forcing and Rooting of Softwood Shoots of Betula nigra L.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the position on the main stem that large stem segments were harvested from on forcing and subsequent rooting of Betula nigra L. (river birch) softwood shoots. The main trunks of eight adult-phase native trees (four trees per run of the experiment) were cut into 50-cm long segments from the ground up. The segments placed in horizontally in 52 × 25 × 6.5 cm (l × w × h) flats containing perlite and were positioned so the bottom one-third of the stem was within the medium. Shoots were forced under natural photoperiod and intermittent mist. This experiment was conducted twice. Data were collected weekly for fourteen weeks on the number of softwood shoots each segment produced, shoot length, number of rootable shoots (>6 cm long), the length of time that the stem segments produced rootable shoots, and the rootability of these shoots treated with 3000 ppm IBA in talc. The number of harvested shoots was greater in Run 1, with the basal segments producing the most harvestable shoots. However, the upper segments in Run 2 produced the most harvestable shoots. Softwood shoots that rooted were placed under intermittent mist. Out of the 540 harvested shoots for both runs, 82.4% rooted, with the majority of those from Run 1. Shoots harvested from this run began producing roots about 6 weeks after harvest, and continued until the end of the experiment. Run 2 shoots began root initiation about 3 weeks after harvest and ended about 2 weeks before the end of the experiment. Run 1 had an mean of 8.3 roots per shoot and Run 2 had an mean of 6.2 roots. The relationship between juvenility and shoot forcing and subsequent rooting will be discussed.