Parental tree effects on rhizogenesis in Nothofagus alessandrii

Abstract

The effect of parent tree on the rooting capacity of stem cuttings of Nothofagus alessandrii Espinosa was studied. Stem cuttings were collected from 20 trees of four years old on November 2002. The trial was carried out in a plastic covered greenhouse located in the forest nursery of the Universidad Catolica del Maule in Talca. In the same nursery the parent tree were also cultivated. Cuttings were treated with indolebutyric acid (0.5%). The greenhouse was equipped with a mist system and bottom heating that maintained a constant temperature around of 21°C at the base of the stem cuttings. The substrate used was germ free sawdust of Pinus radiata D. Don. Each trial was kept under observation for 3 months. Results indicate that there is a strong influence of the parent tree on the rooting capacity of N. alessandrii. For each parent tree, the rooting capacity oscillated from 0 to 100%, with an average of 2.6 roots of 5.8 cm length.