IMPROVED ROOTING BY DIFFERENT PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR TREATMENTS ON PRUNUS MAHALEB L. CUTTINGS

The technical innovations for propagation by cuttings (automatic mist propa-gation unit, basal heating) provide optimal environmental condition to improve rooting efficiency. Despite of the optimal environment cuttings are exposed to various stress factors during rooting due to the lack of roots and root functions. Our aim was testing the effect of biostimulators on Prunus mahaleb L. cuttings during the rooting process. In our experiment the treatments were applied to leafy cuttings of ‘Bogdány’ and ‘Egervár’ mahaleb clonal rootstocks. The tested growth regulators and stimulators: IBA (0.2%), Kelpak (0.2%), Wuxal Ascofol (0.2%), Pentakeep-V (0.05%), benzyladenine (BA; 0.2%) and Yeald Plus (0.15%). In our experiments these plant growth regulators were applied to the cuttings in the above concentration once a week during four weeks. The cuttings size was uniform (15 cm long with two leaves cut in halves). The fresh and dry weights of cuttings, the number of rooted cuttings were measured. We applied two methods on ‘Bogdány’ cuttings: (1) leaf-spraying, (2) first treatment immersion into given solution after leaf-spraying (combined treatment). In both ways, BA treatment only was sprayed, IBA was immersion only once. ‘Egervár’ was treated only by spraying. Our results show that the application by spraying more effective than the combined treatments. Treatments by Pentakeep-V were more efficient in improving the rooting rate at ‘Bogdány’, while at ‘Egervár’ Kelpak gave the best results. Cultivars react different way for various bioregulators. The con¬clusion is that we can recommend using these products to simulate the rooting of cuttings, albeit further analyzing it’s necessary to improve this technology.