Pruning regimes, container types and stockings for mother plants of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. ssp. globulus

SummaryMother plants of one clone of Eucalyptus globulus were grown in a greenhouse in Portugal under different pruning regimes, in pots or communal containers, and at different stockings (crown sizes). Larger plants (at lower stockings) had higher cuttings productivities per plant (cuttings per plant per week) but lower cuttings productivities per area (cuttings per m2 per week). At one stocking, tall and deep-crowned plants had high productivities compared with low plants, but shoot thickness increased with the height of the shoot origin and thick-stemmed cuttings had low initial survival and rooting ability. Root pruning of mother plants temporarily reduced productivity without affecting the propagation traits of cuttings. Rooting was markedly different in two nurseries, reflecting high sensitivity to the environment.