0000000000044176
AUTHOR
D'anna Fabio
Auxin application and cutting length affect rooting in Cuphea hyssopifolia stem cuttings
The effect of cutting length and indole-3-buyric acid (IBA) application on adventitious root formation stem cuttings was studied in Cuphea hyssopifolia. Softwood terminal cuttings of a clone grown in Sicily were trimmed to three lengths (2, 4 or 6 cm) and inserted to a 1-cm depth in bottom heated plastic trays containing a humidified peat-vermiculite mixture 1:2 (v/v). To verify the cutting response to different auxin concentrations, cuttings were dipped to a 1.0 cm depth in a 500ppm or 1000 ppm IBA solutions for 10 seconds. Cutting percent survival was 100%. Regardless of cutting length, the highest rooting percentage was obtained with IBA at 1000 ppm (avg. 86.7%), whereas rooting signific…
Comparing micro-cutting and mini-cutting technique for the clonal propagation of Metrosideros excelsa
public gardens for its foliage and attractive red flowers. M. excelsa plants are commercially propagated by soft and semi-ripe cuttings. Therefore, new and more reliable propagation techniques derived both from conventional and advanced propagation methods should be considered to support Metrosideros nursery development. The mini-cutting and micro-cutting techniques were compared for the clonal propagation of M. excelsa. Ex vitro rooted micro-cuttings resulted superior to mini-cuttings in terms of rooting percentage, root number per cutting and root length by 23.5%, 42.5% and 2.4%, respectively. However, the mini-cutting technique can be considered an alternative reliable propagation method…
Strawberry fields forever: that is, how many grams of plastics are used to grow a strawberry?
In the agricultural sector, plastic is one of the most important tools for improving the managerial and economic performance of companies. The horticultural production under protected cultivation, in particular, makes abundant use of plastic polymers. Polymers that mostly turn into waste. This study aims to identify the main characteristics and factors affecting the decision of farmers operating in the strawberry production sector to recycle the plastic material used on-farm and quantify the plastic used in relation to the different types of materials used. Data come from one of the Italian most specialized areas in the strawberry sector, Marsala. Main findings show that behind a typical 25…