Vegetative propagation of Calliandra calothyrsus ( Meissner )

Abstract

The effects of propagation medium and the type of auxin on root and shoot development of stem cuttings of Calliandra calothyrsus were investigated in two experiments. Cuttings were taken from four-week-old coppice shoots from a cleared C. calothyrsus plantation. In Experiment 1, the effects of five propagation media; fine sand (FS) (3 mm), sawdust (SD), fine gravel (FG) (6 mm) and 50:50 mixtures of FS:SD and FG:SD were compared. In Experiment 2, two commercial brands of auxin rooting powder – ‘Seradix 3’ (IBA) and ‘Bouture CF’ (NAA, IBA and MNAA) were evaluated. The experiments were done in a low-cost, non-mist propagator system in Cameroon. Propagation medium had a significant (P = 0.05) effect on mean rooting percentage (FS = 43% and FS:SD = 93%). The effect of the media on shoot growth from the cuttings (height, basal diameter and root biomass) were also significant (P = 0.05). The application of both the commercial brands of auxin significantly enhanced rooting (84% for untreated cuttings and 91% for IBA- treated cuttings). Bouture CF promoted shoot development from the cuttings, while Seradix 3 inhibited shoot development. The results indicate that in the humid lowlands of Cameroon, where seed productivity of C. calothyrsus is known to be very poor, large-scale production of young plants using these techniques is possible.