Vegetative propagation of Boswellia papyrifera: Time of collection and propagule size affect survival and establishment

Abstract

In the dry woodlands of Africa, stem cuttings of some tree species can root easily for successful vegetative propagation. Successful rooting and establishment of planted cuttings can be affected by size of cutting, planting season, age of parent stock and part of plant used. Propagule length and four collection times were studied on their effect on the survival of branch cuttings of Boswellia papyrifera over a six-year period. The study was carried in a semi-arid area of northwest Ethiopia, where the rainfall occurs from June to September and the other part of the year being too dry to normal plant physiological functioning. Collection time, cutting length and their interaction showed significant differences in mean survival rate. The higher mean survival value was observed from those cutting materials collected in May. The weakest performance was observed from those cutting materials collected in October. The observed difference may be effect of phenological calendar of the species, especially the effect of dormancy period and leaf bud breaking times. Longer stem cuttings did not show persistent better performance across time. This technique could be an alternative solution for restocking the declining B. papyrifera population and fast restoration of degraded dry lands.