Sexual and asexual propagation of Artemisia herba-alba; a native pastoral species highly valued and over-exploited

Abstract

Artemisia herba-alba is among the most important pastoral species, characterized by a high fodder value, especially for ruminants. However, Artemisia herba-alba steppes in Morocco are undergoing continuous degradation. Therefore, understanding the multiplication of this highly appreciated species is essential for its preservation and the rehabilitation of degraded pastures. The present study’s objective is to understand techniques of sexual and asexual multiplication of Artemisia herba-alba: germination and cutting. For sexual multiplication, three factors were considered: age of seeds, their origins and pre-treatments. For asexual multiplication, two factors were tested, i) the effect of Indole Acetic Acid IAA and ii) the cuttings type effect on the rooting of Artemisia herba-alba cuttings. The obtained results showed a high germination rate for freshly harvested seeds (88%), a decrease in the germination rate of seeds over the years, and those of the same year but lately collected (19.78%). Also, there is an increase is observed in the germination rate of seeds soaked for 48 h (21%) compared to the control (17%). In addition, an inhibitory effect of some IAA concentrations on the cuttings rooting was noted. The best rooting rate was observed in herbaceous cuttings control, collected in March (50%). Therefore, it can be concluded that cuttings represent the most efficient and promising technique for the propagation of Artemisia herba-alba.

Keywords

• artemisia herba-alba
• germination
• bouturage
• parcours dégradés
• hauts plateaux du maroc oriental