Growth regulators on shooting and adventitious rooting of Mimosa caesalpiniifolia adult stem cuttings

Abstract

Mimosa caesalpiniifolia, crucial for fencing and firewood in Brazil's Caatinga dry forest, presents a promising avenue for commercial propagation. The challenges faced in seed propagation, such as the scarcity of inputs and the difficulties in overcoming dormancy, highlight the advantages of vegetative methods. These methods emerge as a viable alternative, enabling uniform and large-scale production of clonal plantlets. This technique ensures consistent plant quality, which is crucial given the wide variety of uses for this species. Additionally, the use of plant growth regulators is critical to enhance the success of vegetative propagation, promoting the formation of robust roots and overall development of plants from cuttings of adult trees. Recognizing the significance of creating clonal forests of M. caesalpiniifolia and the necessity for understanding methods to expedite this endeavor, this study was designed to assess the shooting and adventitious rooting of stem cuttings sourced from adult M. caesalpiniifolia trees, examining the effects of auxinic agents. M. caesalpiniifolia cuttings were harvested through vegetative rescue from six randomly selected adult trees, treated with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at concentrations of 0, 1,000, 2,000, and 4000 mg L⁻¹, using a completely randomized design in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement. The evaluations included assessing root presence, number of shoots, vigor of clonal plantlets and plant survival under greenhouse conditions, shade house conditions, and full sun exposure. The study did not reveal any significant interaction between growth regulators and their concentrations under these conditions. IBA at intermediate concentrations enhanced root growth, while cuttings without growth regulators exhibited superior aerial development. A decrease in survival percentages with increasing concentrations of regulators was observed, while cuttings without regulators demonstrated better morphological development. The study suggests for large-scale nurseries, natural rooting and shoot formation in M. caesalpiniifolia cuttings may suffice for successful propagation without IBA or IAA.