Chestnut propagation with leafy cuttings: preliminary results

Abstract

The possibility of the propagation of the two chestnut hybrids (Castanea crenata ´ Castanea sativa) Marsol and Maraval with leafy cuttings in the fog-system was studied. The shoots of five year-old in vitro propagated mother plants were used as a cutting source. The cuttings were cut in the middle of June 2000, and put into the peat/sand (3:1) mixture in the greenhouse with the fog-system. Before being put into the substrate the cuttings were treated with 0.5 % IBA and 10 % Euparen on talkum basis. The rooting process was observed during the propagation season. First roots were visible at both clones already after 3 weeks. The average rooting was between 15 % and 20 % for both clones, in some cases the rooting rate reached 50 % at Marsol after 6 weeks. The formation of callus was strong, especially for the clone Maraval.