Effect of exogenous hormone and rooting medium on cutting propagation of golden Camellia (Camellia impressinervis).

Vegetative propagation method such as cutting, provides uniform plant materials from mother plants. The effect of medium and exogenous hormone pretreatment on rooting were studied for golden camellia - Camellia impressinervis, a tree species which is used for healthcare. The results showed that different concentrations of exogenous hormones IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid), IAA (Indole-3-acetic acid), significantly affected rooting efficiency. Cuttings treated with IBA and IAA had significantly higher rooting percentage than control (54.2 %). Higher rooting efficiency was obtained with IBA, which resulted in highest rooting percentage of 91.4 % at 4 months of growth by using concentration of 0.5 % (by weight). Hormone types and their concentrations did not affect mean root number (MRN) and mean root length (MRL). Rooting media significantly affected rooting efficiency, MRN per cutting, and MRL. Using medium of 100 % sand resulted in highest rooting percentage ( 91.4 %), roots per cutting (4.2) and MRL (5.4 cm) at 4 months of growth. It is concluded that to produce seedlings for C. impressinervis by cuttings, rooting medium of 100 % sand should be used and cuttings should be pretreated by 0.5 % IBA. In addition, cutting management is also important for rooting efficiency. It must be controlled with humidity of > 95 % and temperature of < 27 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]