vegetative propagation ofdalbergia sissooroxb. using softwood and hardwood stem cuttings

Vegetative propagation of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.using softwood and hardwood stem cuttings

Sunil Puri* & R.C. Verma†

*Department of Forestry, I.G. Agricultural University, Raipur 492 012,India

†Department of Forestry, Harayana Agricultural University, Hisar125 004, India

(Received 16 May 1994, accepted 9 January 1996)

Mature hardwood and softwood cuttings of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. were testedfor their ability to root. Cuttings were prepared in three different seasons, i.e.spring, monsoon and winter, and treated with different concentrations ofauxins (IBA and NAA). These were planted in a mist chamber maintained at30 ± 2°C. Both types of cuttings rooted during spring and monsoon seasons.Auxins triggered/enhanced rooting of cuttings; NAA (100 mg l–1) and IBA(100 mg l–1) were found to be the most effective. Higher concentrations ofauxins, i.e. 500 and 1000 mg l–1 of IBA and NAA, in general inhibited orslowed down the rooting ability of cuttings. Auxin appears to trigger bothgrowth and differentiation of roots since auxin-treated cuttings which rootedhad a greater number as well as increased length of roots. The starch contentof cuttings decreased while proteins and sugars increased with time.

©1996 Academic Press Limited

Keywords: Dalbergia sissoo; softwood; hardwood; stem cuttings; vegetativepropagation

Introduction

Dalbergia sissoo Roxb., a multipurpose tree, is grown throughout tropical arid and semi-arid regions (Singh, 1982). The tree is often found growing on farm boundaries as wellas in agricultural fields. Studies were conducted by Puri and co-workers (Puri &Bangarwa, 1992; Puri et al., 1992) to assess its effects on crop productivity and itssuitability for use in agroforestry. Trees with narrow crowns and straight boles werefound to be suitable for agroforestry practices. In nature, a wide variability in thesecharacteristics is seen and unfortunately the major population comprises trees havingwide crowns and multiple forking of the stem. Studies were undertaken to selectsuitable mother (i.e. plus) trees having narrow crowns and clear straight boles, so thatthey could be grown in conjunction with agricultural crops. In all, 46 trees wereselected from all over Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan (Bangarwa et al.,1992).

Natural regeneration of this species is limited (Singh, 1982) and the species isusually raised artificially from seed. In order to have adequate supplies of clonal

Journal of Arid Environments (1996) 34: 235–245

0140–1963/96/020235 + 11 $25.00/0 © 1996 Academic Press Limited

material, it is necessary to use vegetative propagation. The potential of vegetativepropagation for the bulking up of genetically desired plants within a short period hasbeen demonstrated for tree species by several researchers (Libby, 1974; Foster et al.,1984; Puri & Shamet, 1988; Puri & Thompson, 1989).

This study was undertaken to determine if vegetative propagation by cuttings fromadult Dalbergia sissoo trees is possible and to provide an initial idea of the conditionsrequired for rooting.

Materials and methods

Studies were carried out in a mist chamber under controlled environmentalconditions. The unit comprises of modules having temperature controllers, a mistcontroller, leaf sensors, electronic thermometers and air temperature controllers.These control an area of 500 sq. ft. Intermittent misting was performed at regulartimed intervals for 10 h each day, i.e. misting was ‘on’ for 30 s and ‘off’ for 30 min. Thelast misting was done for 5 min and then overnight no misting was done. Misting wasprovided with a mist line going the entire length of the bench. Deflection-type nozzlesoperating at 50 to 60 psi were positioned on risers spaced 90 cm apart. The normallyopen-type solenoid valve was placed in the water line. The average relative humiditywas 80% in the misting unit. Rooting beds were of the raised type with the lowermostlayer consisting of 15 cm gravel, followed by 2·5–3·0 cm sand. The bed and airtemperatures of the mist chamber were always maintained at 30 ± 2°C. Supplementallight consisted of white fluorescent tubes that provided an illumination of 8 klx atcutting level for 16 h a day. The lights were supplied by 40 W fluorescent tubes located80 cm above the surface of the rooting medium and spaced 100 cm apart. Lights wereswitched off between 1900 to 0300h daily.

Cuttings were prepared from 1-year-old branches of ten selected plus trees whichwere about 20-years-old. Disease- and pest-free cuttings having a length of about 22cm and a basal diameter of 1·0 to 1·5 cm were taken in the months of March, July andNovember (1993) for spring, monsoon and winter seasons, respectively. Cuttings fromdifferent trees were mixed together. Two types of cuttings from all three seasons weretested for rooting capacity, i.e. softwood (green stem) and hardwood (brown stem andwoody). Softwood and hardwood cuttings were taken from the upper part of crown.Cuttings were soaked for 10 s in 250 mg l–1 carbendazim solution as fungicide beforegiving hormonal treatments. Each type of cutting (softwood or hardwood) was dividedinto seven groups of 30 cuttings each. Group 1 was treated with water as a control.Groups 2–7 were treated with 100, 500 or 1000 mg l–1 of IBA or NAA. Cuttings weretreated by submersing the basal third in each treatment solution for 24 h. Cuttingswere then transferred into clear polythene bags (22 3 9 cm) containing coarse sand(0·2–2·0 mm particle size; pH 7·0) as a rooting medium. Only one cutting was insertedin each bag and the 30 bags of each treatment were divided into three blocks, eachblock containing 10 cuttings. The bags were then kept in the mist chamber and weremoved daily in order to minimise misting variation.

Observations were made at intervals of 5, 10 and 15 days from planting with regardto the number of cuttings that had callused without roots (callusing %), the number ofcuttings that had produced at least one root (rooting %), root number and mean rootlength (cm). Quantitative changes in proteins, total sugars and starch from the lowerhalf of the cutting were also assessed. Proteins were estimated according to theprocedure of Lowry et al. (1951); total sugars as per the method of Dubois et al.(1951); and starch was extracted following the method of Dekker & Richards (1971)and was estimated after hydrolysis to glucose by the method of Kilburn & Taylor(1969).

For morphological observations and biochemical analysis, samples of nine cuttings

S. PURI & R. C. VERMA 236

Table 1. Effect of auxins on callusing (%), rooting (%), root number per cuttingand mean root length per cutting (cm) on different days (5, 10 and 15) in hardwood

and softwood cuttings planted during the spring season

Treatment % Callusing % Rooting Root number Root length (cm)

(mg l–1) 5 10 15 5 10 15 5 10 15 5 10 15

Control 66 100 66 0 33 66 0 5·0 9·0 0 1·2 1·4(33) (66) (66) (0) (0) (66) (0) (0) (10·0) (0) (0) (1·6)

NAA100 100 100 66 0 66 100 0 19·5 20·3 0 3·0 3·2

(66) (100) (66) (0) (33) (66) (0) (9·0) (16·0) (0) (1·5) (2·2)500 66 66 66 0 33 66 0 10·0 12·5 0 1·2 1·6

(33) (66) (33) (0) (0) (66) (0) (0) (8·0) (0) (0) (1·3)1000 0 0 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(0) (33) (0) (0) (0) (33) (0) (0) (3·0) (0) (0) (0·8)IBA100 66 100 66 0 66 100 0 15·0 17·0 0 1·8 2·4

(66) (100) (66) (0) (33) (66) (0) (5·0) (14·0) (0) (12·0) (1·8)500 0 33 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(33) (33) (66) (0) (0) (33) (0) (0) (10·0) (0) (0) (1·5)1000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(0) (0) (33) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0)

Data given in parentheses are for softwood cuttings.Mean of three blocks; nine cuttings per treatment.

were harvested randomly from each of the three blocks (three cuttings from eachblock) at a standard time of day at the intervals of 5, 10 and 15 days. Out of these, sixcuttings were used for biochemical estimations. Root, callus, buds and shoots were allexcised and discarded, leaving the stem segment itself for analysis (only lower halvesof the cuttings were analysed). The data were analysed using a factorial completerandomised design for the morphological parameters. Before analysis of the data, theywere converted by angular transformation (X = sin–1 √y) for percentage rooting andcallusing. Biochemical characters were subjected to statistical analysis employingDuncan’s multiple range test (Duncan, 1955).

Results

Morphological observations

Dalbergia sissoo is an easily rooted species but softwood cuttings were comparativelymore difficult to root than hardwood cuttings. Amongst the three seasons studied, norooting at all was obtained in winter (November) treated cuttings. The results obtainedduring spring and monsoon seasons are presented in Tables 1 and 2. Untreatedcuttings rooted, but the application of auxins triggered and enhanced rootingsignificantly (p < 0·05). However, higher concentrations of auxins (1000 mg l–1 ofNAA and IBA) inhibited rooting of cuttings taken during the spring and monsoonseason. Hardwood cuttings treated with 100 mg l–1 of NAA and IBA showed 100%rooting during the spring and monsoon season; while 100% rooting in softwoodcuttings was observed in monsoon only. The response to auxin treatment was slower

PROPAGATION OF DALBERGIA SISSOO 237

Table 2. Effect of auxins on callusing (%), rooting (%), root number per cuttingand mean root length per cutting (cm) on different days (5, 10 and 15) in hardwood

and softwood cuttings planted during the monsoon season

Treatment % Callusing % Rooting Root number Root length (cm)

(mg l–1) 5 10 15 5 10 15 5 10 15 5 10 15

Control 0 33 33 0 0 66 0 0 4·5 0 0 1·0(0) (33) (66) (0) (0) (66) (0) (0) (4·5) (0) (0) (1·0)

NAA100 0 66 100 0 33 100 0 8·0 13·0 0 1·4 3·2

(0) (66) (66) (0) (66) (66) (0) (9·0) (15·0) (0) (1·3) (2·3)500 0 33 66 0 0 66 0 0 11·0 0 0 2·2

(0) (33) (66) (0) (33) (66) (0) (5·0) (13·0) (0) (1·3) (1·8)1000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0)IBA100 0 66 66 0 66 100 0 6·0 11·0 0 1·8 2·3

(0) (33) (66) (0) (33) (100) (0) (10·0) (13·0) (0) (1·4) (2·8)500 0 33 66 0 33 66 0 12·0 17·5 0 1·8 1·6

(0) (0) (33) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0)1000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

(0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0)

Data given in parentheses are for softwood cuttings.Mean of three blocks; nine cuttings per treatment.

in softwood cuttings. Amongst the two growth regulators tested, rooting response wassignificantly higher (p < 0·05) in NAA treated cuttings during both seasons.

Both hardwood and softwood cuttings callused but it was found to be more duringspring season (Tables 1, 2). Auxin and water treated cuttings callused, but higherauxin concentrations inhibited callus differentiation. The variation in callusingbetween two types of cuttings and also between two seasons was non-significant.However, between auxin treatments it varied significantly (Table 3). Interestingly, itwas observed that rooting only occurred in those cuttings which had callused, but theinduction of roots was usually at a site other than the callus.

Number of roots and their length increased with time during the spring andmonsoon seasons (Tables 1, 2). Auxins were effective in promoting root growth. Amaximum number of 20·3 and 16·0 roots per cutting with an average length of 3·2 and2·2 cm were observed in hardwood and softwood cuttings, respectively, treated with100 mg l–1 of NAA during spring. In the monsoon sample, the maximum number ofroots were observed in hardwood and softwood cuttings treated with IBA (500 mg l–1)and NAA (100 mg l–1), respectively (Table 2). Interestingly, the lower concentrationof NAA and IAA was effective in increasing root length, both in softwood andhardwood cuttings. The variation in root number and length due to hormonaltreatment was found to be significant at the 5% level (Table 3).

Biochemical analysis

Starch, protein and sugar content at different time intervals in softwood and hardwoodcuttings are presented in Tables 4 to 6. Starch content was high initially (at day 0): inhardwood and softwood cuttings it was found to be 4·5 and 4·2%, respectively, during


Tab

le 3

.S

tatis

tical

ana

lysi

s of

% c

allu

sing

, %

roo

ting,

roo

t num

ber

and

mea

n ro

ot le

ngth

(cm

) be

twee

n tw

ose

ason

s, ty

pe o

f cut

ting

and

diffe

rent

trea

tmen

ts

Sea

son

Typ

e of

cu

ttin

gT

reat

men

t (m

g l–1

)

NA

AN

AA

NA

AIB

AIB

AIB

AC

hara

cter

Spr

ing

Mon

soon

Sof

twoo

dH

ard

woo

dC

ontr

ol10

050

010

0010

050

010

00

Cal

lusi

ng

Per

cen

tage

Mea

n42

·99

40·9

842

·99

40·9

852

·02

66·0

652

·02

9·89

59·0

445

·09·

89C

D a

t 5%

NS

NS

33·7

1*R

ooti

ng

perc

enta

geM

ean

46·5

50·5

58·7

43·0

73·5

91·5

73·5

2·9

97·0

16·5

0C

D a

t 5%

NS

NS

14·5

*ro

ots

Mea

n6·

285·

146·

454·

974·

6613

·57·

080·

2812

·58

1·91

0C

D a

t 5%

NS

NS

3·88

*R

oot

len

gth

Mea

n0·

921·

061·

160·

820·

852·

311·

150·

062·

180·

40

CD

at

5%N

SN

S0·

65*

*Sig

nifi

can

t at

5%

leve

l.C

D=

crit

ical

dif

fere

nce

; NS

=n

ot s

ign

ifica

nt.


Tab

le 4

.C

hang

es in

sta

rch

cont

ent (

%)

duri

ng r

ootin

g of

cut

tings

ofD

albe

rgia

sis

soo

on d

iffer

ent d

ays

(0,

5, 1

0 an

d 15

) in

har

dwoo

d an

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d cu

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s pl

ante

d du

ring

the

spri

ng (

#)

and

mon

soon

(#

#)

seas

ons.

Val

ues

are

mea

n ±

stan

dard

err

or

Har

dw

ood

Sof

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dT

reat

men

t(m

g l–

1 )0

510

150

510

15

Con

trol

#4·

5±0·

12a

3·8±

0·08

c2·

5±0·

09b

1·6±

0·06

d4·

2±0·

13a

3·6±

0·15

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5±0·

11c

1·6±

0·07

d#

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0±0·

09a

3·9±

0·07

a2·

7±0·

11c

1·7±

0·08

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0±0·

18a

3·5±

0·09

b3·

1±0.

15d

1·7±

0·08

cN

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100

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5±0·

12a

3·3±

0·11

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17d

1·0±

0·08

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13a

3·2±

0·13

c2·

0±0·

09e

1·1±

0·07

b#

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0±0·

09a

3·2±

0·13

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0±0·

11d

1·2±

0·09

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3·4±

0·18

b2·

9±0·

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1·2±

0·07

d50

0#

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0·12

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09d

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0·12

b1·

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07c

4·2±

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12d

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##

4·0±

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0·09

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08d

1000

#4·

5±0·

12a

4·4±

0·08

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0±0·

13e

3·9±

0·12

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2±0·

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3·9±

0·16

d3·

8±0·

18d

3·7±

0·19

d#

#4·

0±0·

09a

3·9±

0·15

a3·

7±0·

11b

3·6±

0·17

b4·

0±0·

18a

3·9±

0·19

a3·

8±0·

17a

3·8±

0·18

aIB

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0#

4·5±

0·12

a3·

8±0·

08c

2·2±

0·09

d1·

1±0·

06b

4·2±

0·13

a3·

2±0·

14c

2·1±

0·11

e1·

2±0·

09b

##

4·0±

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a3·

1±0·

09b

2·1±

0·09

d1·

3±0·

08c

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0·18

a3·

5±0·

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0·15

c1·

3±0·

11d

500

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5±0·

12a

4·0±

0·11

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2±0·

15g

2·5±

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0·12

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0±0·

23d

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0·17

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6±0·

19d

##

4·0±

0·09

a3·

9±0·

09a

3·7±

0·07

b3·

4±0·

09e

4·0±

0·18

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9±0·

22a

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0·14

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Val

ues

wit

hin

a r

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s w

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n in

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me

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iffe

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gnifi

can

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at t

he 5

% le

vel.


Tab

le 5

.C

hang

es in

pro

tein

(%)

duri

ng r

ootin

g of

cut

tings

ofD

albe

rgia

sis

soo

on d

iffer

ent d

ays

(0,

5, 1

0 an

d 15

) in

har

dwoo

d an

dso

ftwoo

d cu

tting

s pl

ante

d du

ring

the

spri

ng (

#)

and

mon

soon

(#

#)

seas

ons.

Val

ues

are

mea

n ±

stan

dard

err

or

Har

dw

ood

Sof

twoo

dT

reat

men

t(m

g l–

1 )0

510

150

510

15

Con

trol

#1·

5±0·

05a

3·1±

0·23

b5·

2±0·

43c

6·0±

0·47

d1·

4±0·

08a

3·0±

0·33

b5·

1±0·

44c

5·9±

0·57

d#

#1·

4±0·

04a

1·5±

0·13

a3·

4±0·

33b

6·0±

0·48

c1·

3±0·

07a

1·5±

0·05

a3·

2±0·

26b

5·8±

0·43

cN

AA

100

#1·

5±0·

05a

3·2±

0·09

b5·

8±0·

54d

6·8±

0·79

c1·

4±0·

08a

3·1±

0·21

b5·

7±0·

77d

6·6±

0·91

c#

#1·

4±0·

04a

1·8±

0·07

a4·

9±0·

65d

6·0±

0·87

c1·

3±0·

07a

1·7±

0·13

b4·

8±0·

33d

6·0±

0·64

c50

0#

1·5±

0·05

a3·

1±0·

77b

5·4±

0·87

c6·

1±0·

94d

1·4±

0·08

a3·

0±0·

41b

5·3±

0·88

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0±0·

78d

##

1·4±

0·04

a1·

7±0·

09a

2·0±

0·08

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0±0·

75b

1·3±

0·07

a1·

7±0·

06b

2·0±

0·9e

5·7±

0·95

f10

00#

1·5±

0·05

a1·

7±0·

07a

2·0±

0·06

b2·

0±0·

08b

1·4±

0·08

a1·

6±0·

07a

1·7±

0·08

ab2·

0±0·

07b

##

1·4±

0·04

a1·

7±0·

08a

2·0±

0·07

e2·

0±0·

08e

1·3±

0·07

a1·

6±0·

07ab

1·7±

0·06

b1·

7±0·

09b

IBA

100

#1·

5±0·

05a

3·2±

0·65

b5·

7±0·

87d

6·6±

0·97

c1·

4±0·

08a

3·2±

0·49

b5·

3±0·

87e

6·5±

0·86

c#

#1·

4±0·

04a

3·0±

0·76

b3·

9±0·

67c

6·0±

0·88

c1·

3±0·

07a

1·9±

0·08

c3·

1±0·

64b

5·5±

0·45

f50

0#

1·5±

0·05

a2·

1±0·

09c

2·9±

0·08

e3·

0±0·

21e

1·4±

0·08

a2·

0±0·

08c

2·8±

0·23

b4·

0±0·

19e

##

1·4±

0·04

a2·

1±0·

15c

3·8±

0·34

c5·

7±0·

87d

1·3±

0·07

a1·

7±0·

09b

1·8±

0·05

b3·

0±0·

21d

1000

#1·

5±0·

05a

1·7±

0·06

a1·

9±0·

09b

2·0±

0·16

b1·

4±0·

08a

1·6±

0·08

a1·

9±0·

07ab

2·0±

017a

b#

#1·

4±0·

04a

1·7±

0·06

a2·

0±01

2e2·

0±0·

08e

1·3±

0·07

a1·

6±0·

08ab

1·8±

0·12

b1·

9±0·

11b

Val

ues

wit

hin

a r

ow a

s w

ell a

s co

lum

n in

eac

h fa

ctor

fol

low

ed b

y th

e sa

me

lett

er d

o n

ot d

iffe

r si

gnifi

can

tly

at t

he 5

% le

vel.


Tab

le 6

.C

hang

es in

tota

l sug

ars(

%)

duri

ng r

ootin

g of

cut

tings

ofD

albe

rgia

sis

soo

on d

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spring and 4·0% during monsoon in both types of cuttings (Table 4). With theinitiation of rooting it decreased with time. The decrease was more in cuttings treatedwith NAA than those treated with IBA during spring. This decrease was found to bemore than four times in hardwood cuttings treated with NAA (100 mg l–1). A similarpattern of variation was evident in cuttings taken during the monsoon. The decreasewas found to be negligible in those cuttings which did not root, such as 1000 mg l–1

IBA and NAA treated cuttings.It is evident from Tables 5 and 6 that the quantitative changes in proteins and total

sugars was markedly different and opposite to starch. Proteins increased with timeduring both seasons (Table 5). A maximum of 6·8% was observed in hardwoodcuttings treated with 100 mg l–1 of NAA during spring. In softwood cuttings theprotein content was also at a maximum in 100 mg l–1 NAA treated cuttings. Theincrease was four to five times in all those cuttings which rooted. The pattern ofvariation in protein content during the monsoon season was almost the same as thatobserved during the spring season (Table 5).

Similarly, sugar content increased with time (Table 6). The maximum amount ofsugar during the spring was 4·0% in hardwood and softwood cuttings; and in monsoonit was 4·0 and 3·9% in hardwood and softwood cuttings, respectively. Cuttings treatedwith lower concentrations of NAA and IBA had maximum sugar content, irrespectiveof season. Further it was observed that sugar content was more in spring-rootedcuttings compared to monsoon-rooted cuttings. In general, the sugar contentincreased by two to three times by day 15 when compared with sugar content on day0 (Table 6).

Discussion

The results of the present investigation indicate that it is possible to vegetativelypropagate plus trees of D. sissoo. Cuttings could be rooted in the spring and monsoonseasons, while winter cuttings did not root at all. Hardwood cuttings responded toauxin better than young softwood cuttings. Both softwood and hardwood cuttingsshowed a regenerative response in terms of callus formation and/or root initiation. Insome treatments only callusing was found; in others, callus formation was followed byroot initiation, usually at other than callus sites. None of the cuttings rooted which didnot callus.

A number of workers have reported that auxins, natural or artificially applied, triggeradventitious roots on stem cuttings (Nanda, 1975; Puri & Shamet, 1988). From thepresent studies no general conclusion about the effect of a particular auxin on rootingcan be made, as both IBA and NAA triggered rooting and there were no significantdifferences between treatments. The variation in rooting potential of two types ofcuttings seems to be due to the physiological nature of cuttings. Haissig (1979) opinedthat depending on the endogenous level of growth-regulating substance, exogenousapplication of auxin may be promotive, ineffective or even inhibitory for the rooting ofcuttings. The studies reported here indicate that the lower concentration of IBA andNAA triggered rooting in D. sissoo, while higher concentration inhibited it.

Seasonal stimulus plays an important role in callus and root formation (Nanda,1975). Seasonal effect is clearly visible in the present study as cuttings rooted only inthe spring and monsoon seasons. A number of workers have shown that rooting ofcuttings is facilitated when carbohydrate and growth promotors are in abundance(Nanda & Anand, 1970; Haissig, 1986). Growth activity is low during winter, and assoon as the temperature rises (from February onwards), carbohydrates and growthpromotors are mobilized and help in growth flushes. Thus, cuttings made in Marchand July seem to root due to the cause and/or effect of growth and mobilization ofmetabolites.


Energy is required for root initiation which is met by degradation of starch via theEmbden–Meyerhof–Parnes glycolytic pathways, because other energy sources, such aslipids, are present less in the stem (Haissig, 1974). Starch acts as the prime, andpossibly sole, carbohydrate source for root primordia initiation and development(Nanda & Anand, 1970). Rooted cuttings had a lower starch content after 15 days ofplanting than cuttings which did not root. It is pertinent to mention that cuttings whichhad maximum rooting, such as 100 mg l–1 NAA treated hardwood cuttings, showedthe maximum decrease in starch (on day 15 it was observed to be 1·0%) (Table 4).

Proteins were low prior to planting, but increased within 5 days indicating de novosynthesis of proteins. Several workers have pointed out that synthesis of proteinsoccurs before adventitious root formation (Nanda & Jain, 1972; Haissig, 1974).Mitsuhashi et al. (1969) opined that the influence of auxins on initiation anddevelopment of adventitious roots might be mediated through quantitative andqualitative changes in proteins. The continued loss of starch is attributable to an exportof carbohydrates to the developing roots. Many workers have attributed this decreasein starch to mobilization into sugars (Nanda & Anand, 1970; Haissig, 1974; Puri &Thompson, 1989).

Although our observations were limited to a single species and few treatments, theysuggest that besides auxins metabolites also significantly relate to rooting.

Conclusions

This study provides results concerning vegetative propagation of Dalbergia sissoo bysoftwood and hardwood cuttings. The conclusion drawn are as follows: (i) it rootseasily; (ii) cuttings should be collected during the spring and rainy seasons only; (iii)mature hardwood cuttings root better than softwood cuttings; (iv) treatment withrooting hormones (IBA or NAA — 100 mg l–1) gave the best (100%) rooting; (v) thestarch content of cuttings decreased while proteins and sugars increased with timefrom planting.

If the above conditions are followed, D. sissoo could be rooted vegetatively in largenumbers under controlled mist conditions within 15 days.

The authors are thankful to the Social Forestry Division of Haryana and World Bank forproviding financial assistance. The merit fellowship to RCV by Haryana Agricultural Universityis gratefully acknowledged. We are thankful to an anonymous reviewer for improving themanuscript.

References

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Dekker, R.F.H. & Richards, G.N. (1971). Determination of starch in plant material. Journal ofScience, Food & Agriculture, 22: 441–451.

Dubois, M., Gillies, K., Hamilton, J.K., Robers, P.A. & Smith, F. (1951). A colorometricmethod for determination of sugar. Nature, 168: 166–167.

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vegetative propagation ofdalbergia sissooroxb. using softwood and hardwood stem cuttings

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