Propagation of three species of Baccharis using different cutting leghts

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different cutting sizes on the vegetative propagation of three species of Baccharis. Baccharis trimera was collected in the municipal district of Pinhais-PR, Baccharis articulata in Castro-PR and in Mandirituba-PR and Baccharis stenocephala in Campina Grande do Sul-PR. In May 2000, the cuttings were placed in carbonized rice peels substrate and were rooted in a greenhouse, under intermittent mist. Cuttings of 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm long were randomly distributed in four replications with fifteen cuttings in each parcel, for each one of the species. In B. trimera, the longer the cutting the better the rooting response and the 20 cm cuttings presented 93.3% of shooting, 100% of rooting and the best root system development. B. articulate presented the lowest rooting indices among the three species with a maximum of 35.7% of rooting in the 15cm long cuttings and highest weight of dried rooting in the 20 cm long cuttings, which presented 7.9 roots per cutting. Rooting in B. stenocephala increased in linear tendency with cutting lenght and 20 cm long cuttings reached more than 50% of rooting. Other parameters had no differences among treatments. The 20 cm long cuttings are recommended to be used in the propagation of B. articulata, B. trimera and B. stenocephala by cuttings.