Eyad Dannoura* (1), Ateya Arab (1), Safaa Sabboh(1), Hussam Baroudi(1), and Manal Saleh (1)
(1). Lattakia Research Center, General Commission For Agricultural Scientific Research (GCSAR), Syria.
(*corresponding author: Dr. Eyad Dannoura. Email: eyed.dannoura@gmail.com ,Tel: 0966895705 ).
Received:5/05/2024 Accepted: 1/08/2024
Abstract
This study was conducted at the Center of Scientific Agricultural Research in Latakia Governorate, during the years 2022-2023, on cuttings of Japanese mulberry trees, Morus bombycis L., grown in the Silkworm Breeding Center in Masyaf (Hama). The research aims to study the effect of cutting diameter and planting medium on the rooting and growth of cuttings. Woody Japanese mulberries treated with a single, fixed concentration of the growth regulator indole butyric acid (IBA), which was 4000ppm. Woody cuttings were collected from the studied trees with two different diameters (less than 1.5 cm) and (1.5-2.5 cm). Five media were used to grow the cuttings. The cuttings were planted outdoors under the influence of natural conditions. The experiment was designed according to a factorial experiment in completely randomized design. The results showed that the best treatment was the cuttings with a diameter of /1.5-2.5 cm/ with medium A (silkworm compost + sand + ordinary soil (1:1:1)) regarding the average percentage of rooting(77.77%) and the average number of branches(3 branches/cutting). While the best average length of the branches was when diameter of less than 1.5 cm cuttings were planted in Medium B (imported turf + sand + ordinary soil (1:1:1)) with average length (82.33cm). This confirms the importance of adding silkworm compost to rooting medium as a main component in propagating Japanese mulberries using the woody cutting method.
Keywords: Japanese mulberry Morus bombycis L., rooting, cuttings, planting mediums, compost, the Silkworm.
Full paper in Arabic: PDF