There are various methods of multiplication of mulberry plants. In mulberry species, the stem cut-
tings readily form roots. Both grafting and layering need time for establishment. Hence, propagation of
mulberry through stem cuttings is preferred.
Thimann and Behnke-Rogers [5] showed that the rooting of cuttings of many tree species is stimu-
lated by synthetic growth substances. Bose [6] has developed easier and better methods of vegetative
propagation by the use of growth substances for ornamental and fruit plants. Bose and Mukherjee [7] used
some growth substances to improve rooting in cuttings of Legerstroemia indica. Prasad and Dikshit [8]
obtained maximum success in rooting with cuttings of essential oil–producing plants treated with growth
regulators. Teaotia and Pandey [9] obtained better results in rooting guava stem cuttings with the assis-
tance of growth substances.
B. Factors Affecting Vegetative Propagation
More than 50% of the land surface of the developing countries is located in the arid and semiarid zones.
In many of these countries, in which more than 80% of the population lives with agricultural and animal
husbandry, a tragic and dangerous imbalance is developing between requirements for and available sup-
ply of food, fodder, and fuel [10–12]. Dwindling vegetation cover will adversely affect all facets of rural
life in which trees and shrubs generally serve not only as fuel but also as shade and shelter for man, ani-
mal, and crops. In the long term, depletion of the natural vegetation will increase ecological fragility and
contribute to gradual degradation of the resource base as well as the natural resources themselves [13–15].
A practice common among peasants is migration of cattle to neighboring states or within the state
wherever fodder is available. This large-scale migration does immense harm to the delicate ecosystem.
Animals usually strip all of the plants from the area; this causes poor regeneration and increased soil ero-
sion, and more areas become barren. This necessitates the utilization of saline wastelands for fodder pro-
duction as crop cultivation is impossible because of the high salt content of the soil. Enumeration of in-
digenous saline species showed that very few plants are palatable and their growth pattern is not at an
acceptable level for fodder production.
Many taxa of the family Chenopodiaceae are indigenous to arid and saline regions of the world. Their
ecological amplitude is very high, and various adaptive features at different levels of the plant life cycle
are observed. Many are shrubs, and they offer a tremendous potential for human benefit in making the
arid and semiarid lands of the world more productive and useful [16].
To revegetate the salt-affected soils and secondary salinized soils, plants that can survive in arid and
saline conditions are needed. Shrubby halophytes of the genus Atriplexare particularly adapted to such
conditions. The genus Atriplexincludes several haloxeric fodder species very useful in arid zones. The
primary driving force of all animals is the need to finding the right kind of food and enough of it. Food is
the burning question in animal society, and the whole structure and activities of the community are de-
pendent upon questions of food supply.
Saline and sodic soils are problems of individual localities, and their formation and causes of devel-
opment must be considered before these soils are put to any economic use. Salt-tolerant plants have been
used as forage in arid saline areas for millennia. The recognition of the value of certain salt-tolerant shrub
grass species is reflected in their incorporation in pasture improvement programs in many salt-affected
regions throughout the world. However, reproduction, survival, and multiplication under the inhospitable
conditions of arid saline areas are basic needs for any halophytic or glycophytic species. In many halo-
phytes, germination of seeds is usually retarded by high concentrations of salt in the soil [17–19]. Ger-
mination is the most important stage in the life cycle of any species growing in an arid saline environ-
ment. Seed germination in saline environments occurs mostly with high precipitation, when soil salinity
levels are usually reduced [20–23]. It is also known that when seeds are sown in a saline environment,
there is a decrease in the rate of germination, delaying completion of germination; moreover, there is a
water potential below which germination does not occur [24–27]. In general, it is agreed that salinity af-
fects germination by creating sufficiently low to inhibit water uptake (osmotic effect) and /or by provid-
ing conditions for the entry of ions that may be toxic to the embryo [28,29]. These constraints affect the
different stages of seed germination and seed establishment to varying degrees.
Reduction of germination occurs when halophytes are subjected to salinities above 1% NaCl; in-
creasing salt concentrations also delay germination [30]. Salinity or sodicity and water stress are the most
important factors responsible for limiting seed germination and plant growth. To overcome the present
VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION OF SALTBUSH AND MULBERRY 129