Effects of Thickness of Hardwood Black Mulberry Cuttings on Rooting and Sapling Performance

Abstract

The study examined the effect of wood cutting thickness on rooting and sapling performance in black mulberry. The wood cuttings taken in December, classified into three groups according to their diameter, immersed in a 5000 ppm IBA solution for five seconds, and then planted in a sub-heated perlite condition with three replicates. Rooting ratio, number of roots and root length were measured in cuttings which were kept in perlite for 90 days. Relationship between cutting diameter and cutting weight with rooting data was examined by regression analysis. When vegetative growth was stopped; the effects of initial cutting diameter, cutting weight and root characteristics on the sapling quality expressed as plant diameter, weight and height, root length and number were evaluated by multiple regression analysis. In the study, while rooting rate in all cuttings was found to be 47.11%, the percentage of rooting was determined in thin cuttings as 28.18%, in middle thick cuttings as 63.70 and 100% in thick cuttings. Simple and multiple regression analyzes showed that there were also low relationships between the initial data like cutting diameter, cutting weight, root number and root length of rooted cuttings with sapling quality expressed as plant diameter, weight, height, root length.