Genetic and environmental factors affecting rooting in Eucalyptus Grandis X Eucalyptus Longistrata hybrid cuttings

Abstract

An investigation was undertaken to study the rooting ability of E. grandis x E. longirostrata hybrid cuttings. The plant material was sourced from five families in seedling derived hedges at two nurseries, as well as five families coppiced from an unreplicated progeny trial planted in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. Their rooting ability was assessed by determining the percentage of cuttings that developed roots using two different rooting methods. This study demonstrated that large improvements in rooting success can be made by the optimization of rooting protocols and selecting for superior genotypes, as long as the performances of genotypes are accurately assessed.