Black currant propagation by softwood cuttings

Abstract

Vegetative propagation of black currants by stem cuttings is mostly used by nurseries, as such method is quick and the newly propagated plants are genetically identical to parent plants. However, rooting in some genotypes is slow and results in a small number of rooted cuttings. In this study, softwood cuttings from three selected black currant cultivars (ʻBen Lomondʼ, ʻČačanska Crnaʼ and ʻTitaniaʼ) were subjected to different concentrations (250 ppm, 500 ppm and 1000 ppm) of rooting stimulators – indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) before planting in rooting soil substrate. Cuttings without treatment were considered as control. Rooting performance of stated cultivars in tap water, without any previous treatment of cuttings, was examined as well. The following parameters were monitored: percentage of rooting, average number of roots per cutting, average root length and average height of newly formed shoots. All monitored parameters were significantly affected by the interaction cultivar × auxin treatment/ water rooting period. Rootingability of ʻBen Lomondʼ and ʻTitaniaʼ cuttings was improved after treatments with both IBA and NAA compared to non-treated cuttings. In both cultivars, IBA treatments gave better results than NAA. However, inhibition was observed in the case of ʻČačanska Crnaʼ cuttings treated with auxins compared with control (untreated) ones. Rooting ability of all cultivars, especially considering percentage of rooting and mean number of roots per cutting, was significantly improved by using a tap water as rooting medium without any previous treatment of cuttings.