Node number and pre-treatment with growth hormone influence the growth of pepper cuttings (Piper nigrum L.).

This study aimed to determine the independent and interaction effects of soaking time in IBA-based hormone and node number on the growth of pepper cuttings. This research was conducted at the Field Laboratory II of the Faculty of Agriculture, Halu Oleo University, Kendari, from September to December 2019. The research design used was a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two factors, nine treatment combinations, each was repeated three times. The first factor was soaking time (P), consisting of 3 levels, namely: dip only, without soaking duration (P0), soaking 30 minutes (P1), and soaking 60 minutes (P2), while the second factor was the number of cutting node (H) consisting of 3 levels, namely: one node (H0), two nodes (H1), three nodes (H2). The observed variables were the formation time of shoots (days), shoot length (cm), the number of leaves (strands), the number of roots, and root length (cm). The results of this study indicated that the interaction of duration of immersion and the number of cutting nodes significantly affected the shoot length and root length. There was an independent effect of soaking time treatment on shoot length, root length, and the number of roots, while the independent treatment of the number of cutting nodes affected the shoot formation, leaf number, and shoot length. In general, the soaking time of 60 minutes (P2) and three cutting nodes (H2) gave the best effect on pepper cutting growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]