Indolebutyric acid in “pulse” treatment on the rooting of Luehea divaricata minicuttings

ABSTRACT: The objective of the present research was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of indolebutyric acid (IBA) on the rooting of Luehea divaricata minicuttings under two different cultivation periods in a greenhouse environment. The minicuttings were immersed in a hydroethanolic solution containing IBA. All minicuttings survived after 30 and 60 days of cultivation. Root formation at 30 days of cultivation with 1000 mg L-1 of IBA was 91.7%, the same rate as that observed with 4000 mg L-1. At the 1000 mg L-1 concentration, the number of roots was the greatest among all treatments, with 8.42 roots per minicutting after 30 days of cultivation. After 30 days of cultivation, the formation and number of roots with the use of 1000 mg L-1 of IBA in the “pulse” treatment produced the best outcome results, allowing the plants to spend less time in a greenhouse at a reduced concentration of auxin when compared with other treatments. However, to obtain higher averages of secondary root formation, root length, and number of leaves, it is necessary to increase the cultivation period to 60 days.