Rooting Response of Semi-hardwood Shoot Cuttings of <I>Grewia optiva</I> and <I>Lagerstroemia parviflora</I>

Abstract

Adventitious rhizogenesis in semi-hardwood shoot cuttings of two 'rooting recalcitrant' forestry species, Grewia optiva and Lagerstroemia parviflora was investigated. The cuttings of approximately 20 cm length and 1.0 cm diameter were treated with equimolar (2mM) doses of indole 3-butyric acid, sodium acetate, ascorbic acid and thiamine for 24 h by basal dipping. After ten weeks of planting, observations were recorded for sprouting (%), rooting (%), root number, and root length and root-sprout ratio. Treatment with IBA significantly induced adventitious rooting (upto 67%) in Grewia optiva. In Lagerstroemia parviflora, treatment of thiamine resulted in significantly better adventitious rhizogenesis than other treatments.