USE OF RENEWABLE SUBSTRATES FOR EX VITRO PRODUCTION OF Melaleuca alternifolia CHEEL CLONAL PLANTS BY MINI-CUTTINGS TECHNIQUE

Carlos Andre Stuepp,Dagma Kratz,Rosimeri De Oliveira Fragoso,Katia Christina Zuffellato-Ribas,Ivar Wendling,Pedro Henrique Riboldi Monteiro

doi:10.1590/01047760201723042434

Carlos Andre Stuepp, Dagma Kratz + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/01047760201723042434

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Abstract

ABSTRACT The Australian species Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel. has a strong commercial importance due to the extraction of essential oils from its leaves used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. In order to obtain an efficient plant production system of M. alternifolia the mini-cuttings technique and the clonal mini-garden management in the productivity and rooting of mini-cuttings and different substrate compositions were analyzed during all the seasons. Mini-stumps derived from cuttings and grown in pots (2 L), were submitted to successive harvesting of their sprouts during the four seasons (september/2013 to august/2014). From the mini-stumps sprouts mini-cuttings were produced, wich were were planted in plastic tubes and kept in a greenhouse for 45 days. Six substrates were used for planting the mini-cuttings: commercial substrate (S1); substrate composed of 100% carbonized rice husk (CRH) (S2); substrate composed of 100% coconut fiber (CF) (S3); substrate composed of 50% CF and 50% CRH (S4); substrate composed of 30% CF and 70% CRH (S5); substrate composed of 70% FC and 30% CRH (S6). The high survival of mini-stumps (over 90%) and the mini-cuttings production (282 mini-cuttings.m-2.month-1) in the shade house demonstrate the technical feasibility for the species, being summer the most appropriate time to collect propagules. The substrate composed by 70% CF + 30% CRH (S6) shows superior results for vegetative propagation of M. alternifolia (91.7% of rooted mini-cuttings), as the single one to contemplate simultaneously all parameters. Summer is recommended as the best time for rooting of mini-cuttings.

Highlights

Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel. (Myrtaceae), known as malaleuca, crops up naturally in Australia, where it is widely cultivated and exported to North America and Europe, being used in cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry (WONGA et al, 2015)
The rate of mini-stumps survival remained high throughout the four seasons of the year (Figure 2A). This result reflects on the adaptability of the material to the environmental and nutritional conditions provided in the shade house and evidences the maintenance of the mini-stumps vigor throughout the experimental period (12 months)
The plants species are in full vegetative growth, with the emission of buds and young leaves and, they present the best balance between nutrient uptake and sprout recovering (BRONDANI et al, 2010; STUEPP et al 2015)

Summary

Introduction

Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel. (Myrtaceae), known as malaleuca, crops up naturally in Australia, where it is widely cultivated and exported to North America and Europe, being used in cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry (WONGA et al, 2015). Several studies have evaluated the propagation of M. alternifolia in different substrates, plant growth regulators and types of mini-cuttings (OLIVEIRA et al, 2012a; SILVA et al, 2012b; STUEPP et al, 2013). There’s no system capable of producing M. alternifolia high genetic quality plants at any time of the year. The mini-cuttings technique has shown satisfactory results for many species in the production of genetically superior clones (BRONDANI et al, 2012; KRATZ et al, 2015; STUEPP et al, 2015.). Its main advantage is a higher productivity of plants with high percentages of roots without the need of plant growth regulators (BRONDANI et al, 2010; WENDLING et al, 2010)

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