Propagation of Tectona Grandis L. f. trees by minicutting

Abstract

Vegetative propagation in forests allows for producing homogeneous plantations with desirable phenotypic characteristics over a short period of time. The purpose of this study was to assess the propagation of teak trees by using minicutting. The study took place at Canalate – Córdoba, Colombia, in 13 to 17 year old commercial teak stands, where 30 cm cuttings from the lower third of the treetop with two to four sprouts were taken and subsequently planted in a sand and alluvium substrate. Once these cuttings reached a 2-to-5-cm length, they were cut and later were applied rooting treatments mixed with IBA (indole butyric acid) and PVP (polivinilpirrolidona) in the following doses: Control(00:00), C1(2000:4000), C2(2000:8000), C3(2000:16000), C4(3000:4000), C5(3000:8000), C6(3000:16000), C7(5000:4000) y C8(5000:16000) mg L.1. They were later planted in a peat, in a random design with four replications. Percentages of survival in a moist chamber (% SCH), rooting shade house (% ECS), and the number of roots were evaluated. Results showed highly significant differences between treatments for rates of survival in humid chamber, and rooting in shade house with regard to the control, being the treatments C4(3000:4000) and C8(5000:16000) more efficient with values over 55 and 40% respectively. Regarding the number of roots, the highest number was obtained in the C7(5000:4000) treatment with 2,5 roots per sprout. It can be concluded that minicutting is a potential technique for the propagation of Tectonagrandis Linn F trees with high commercial value.

Keywords

• cloning
• rooting minicuttings
• clonal propagation
• tectona grandis
• hormones and antioxidant