Rooting and vegetative growth of hardwood cuttings of 12 pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars

Authors: CHATER, JOHN - University Of California; MERHAUT, DONALD - University Of California; Preece, John; EUGENE, BLYTHE - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Scientia Horticulturae
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/21/2017
Publication Date: 4/28/2017
Citation: Chater, J.M., Merhaut, D.J., Preece, J.E., Eugene, B.K. 2017. Rooting and vegetative growth of hardwood cuttings of 12 pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars. Scientia Horticulturae. 221:68-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2017.04.025.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2017.04.025

Interpretive Summary: Commercial pomegranate acreage has increased substantially in the western hemisphere due to increased consumer interest in the fruit. Low nursery inventory has caused many growers to propagate their own trees and the availability of only a few cultivars is believed to have played a role in a lack of diversity in the developing market. 'Wonderful,' the industry standard for pomegranate in several countries, has been propagated in the United States for over 100 years, yet there is limited scientific information regarding how to most effectively propagate 'Wonderful' and other important cultivars. This research included two experiments. Experiment 1 evaluated rooting percentages and vegetative growth parameters of hardwood cuttings of twelve cultivars ('Ambrosia,' 'Desertnyi,' 'Eversweet,' 'Golden Globe,' 'Green Globe,' 'Haku Botan,' 'Ki Zakuro,' 'Loffani,' 'Nochi Shibori,' 'Parfianka,' 'Phoenicia,' and 'Wonderful') utilizing a basal dip in a gel formulation of 3 g·L¯¹ indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Experiment 2 evaluated auxin treatments which consisted of basal dip in water only (control) or a gel formulation of IBA (1.5 g·L¯¹ or 3 g·L¯¹) for hardwood cuttings of 'Wonderful' and two cultivars that rooted poorly in Experiment 1: 'Ambrosia' and 'Green Globe.' Measured response parameters included rooting success percentages, dry root mass, leaf area, plant height, number of shoots, apical shoot growth, total shoot length, branching, stem diameter, and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD value). Differences were detected among the cultivars for many of the parameters.

Technical Abstract: Commercial pomegranate acreage has increased substantially in the western hemisphere due to increased consumer interest in the fruit. Low nursery inventory has caused many growers to propagate their own trees and the availability of only a few cultivars is believed to have played a role in a lack of diversity in the developing market. 'Wonderful,' the industry standard for pomegranate in several countries, has been propagated in the United States for over 100 years, yet there is limited scientific information regarding how to most effectively propagate 'Wonderful' and other important cultivars. This research included two experiments. Experiment 1 evaluated rooting percentages and vegetative growth parameters of hardwood cuttings of twelve cultivars ('Ambrosia,' 'Desertnyi,' 'Eversweet,' 'Golden Globe,' 'Green Globe,' 'Haku Botan,' 'Ki Zakuro,' 'Loffani,' 'Nochi Shibori,' 'Parfianka,' 'Phoenicia,' and 'Wonderful') utilizing a basal dip in a gel formulation of 3 g·L¯¹ indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Experiment 2 evaluated auxin treatments which consisted of basal dip in water only (control) or a gel formulation of IBA (1.5 g·L¯¹ or 3 g·L¯¹) for hardwood cuttings of 'Wonderful' and two cultivars that rooted poorly in Experiment 1: 'Ambrosia' and 'Green Globe.' Measured response parameters included rooting success percentages, dry root mass, leaf area, plant height, number of shoots, apical shoot growth, total shoot length, branching, stem diameter, and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD value). Differences were detected among the cultivars for many of the parameters.