AIR-LAYERING TECHNIQUE IN SWEET ORANGE (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) USING AUXIN AND STEROIDAL EXTRACT ON COCONUT HUSK (COCOPEAT)
Keywords:
Air-layering, Citrus sinensis, Steroidal Extract, Callus, Vegetative propagation, AuxinAbstract
Air layering is a propagation technique used to produce clones of woody plants that are difficult to root from cuttings; it induces root formation on branches while they remain attached to the parent plant. In this study, coconut husk (cocopeat) was used as the rooting medium for air-layering Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck (sweet orange). The aim was to propagate new trees from the stems of a single parent plant as a conservation technique. A young, straight, healthy, and vigorous stem was selected; side branches and leaves were removed from a 10–15 cm section. A 2-cm-wide girdling cut was made around the stem through the bark and cambium. Approximately 30g of coconut husk was packed around the cut inside a polythene bag, which was then loosely wrapped with twine or plastic tape and sealed at one end with waterproof adhesive tape to produce a packed medium 5–7 cm thick. Auxin (AP) and steroidal extracts (SP) were inoculated into the cocopeat at concentrations of 100, 200, and 300 mg/mL. The experiment ran for 3 months; after initial rooting, root number, root length, and root circumference were assessed for 20 days. Differences among treatment groups were statistically significant for all parameters (P < 0.001). Steroidal extracts (SP at 100, 200, and 300 mg/mL) produced the highest root numbers in a dose-dependent manner with an initial rooting period of 45 days, suggesting that steroidal extract is an effective rooting enhancer with potential to replace auxin in plant propagation.
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