Determining the Rooting Ability of Hardwood Cuttings of Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cv. ‘Bluecrop’ Stored in Refrigerating Conditions

Abstract

This experiment has been carried out in order to determine the rooting ability of hardwood cuttings of the blueberry cultivar ‘Bluecrop’ collected during the deep dormant winter period in the last part of January. In order to induce the adventitious roots formation, the cuttings were stimulated using Indol Butyric Acid (IBA) and Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) in various concentrations (1500, 3000, 4500 ppm), whilst one row in each box remained intact (control).  The collection of cuttings off the mother plant at the beginning of January enable the nutrients and other matter that help the process of rooting not to move from the base of cutting towards the top and consequently they remain at the base of cutting which results with quite a high rooting percentage (up to 72.5%) compared to the cuttings collected in February with rooting percentage of 67.5% and in March (52%). In both types of substrate, turf and turf-perlite 2:1 and in different time periods when cuttings have been collected, IBA proved to be better in inducing adventitious roots compared to NAA.