but Ellern [50] failed to find any difference in rooting of soft, green cuttings and young woody stem
cuttings.
Nanda et al. [52] used IAA, IBA, and NAA to enhance the rooting response of stem cuttings of for-
est trees and investigated the possibility that even seasonal changes in the effectiveness of different aux-
ins are governed by morphophysiological factors. Auxins enhanced the rooting of stem cuttings of Pop-
ulus nigraandHibiscus rosa-sinensiseven during December–February, but these hormones failed to
cause rooting in Ficus infectoriacuttings during the same period. It was observed that auxins enhanced
the rooting more in winter, followed by the rainy season, and least in summer.
Indole acetic acid has been one of the most commonly used auxins, but different workers have ob-
tained varying results [8,9,53,54]. Chatterjee [55] found that Pogostemon potehouli, an essential
oil–yielding plant, responded more favorably to IAA than other auxins. Shanmugavelu [56] also obtained
the maximum percentage of rooting in cuttings of certain shrubby plants with IAA. On the other hand,
NAA gave favorable results in the induction of roots in cuttings of Levendula, Ficus infectoria, and Hi-
biscus rosa-sinensis[57]. The experimental results of our study showed that a large number of roots were
produced at lower concentrations of NAA, IAA, and IBA.
A number of saltbush species may be established from cuttings, including A, amnicola, A. nummu-
laria, A. canescens, A. halimus, A. lentiformis, A. paludosa, and A. polycarpa[58]. The cuttings should
be taken at the peak of spring growth or in the autumn in a Mediterranean climate. The wood should be
about 6 mm thick and 250 mm long, taken from young stems between two leaf axils. A rooting hormone
(e.g., IBA) may be applied to encourage root growth before approximately half the stem is covered with
a moist, sandy soil. The cuttings should root within 6 weeks and should be ready for transplanting in 10
weeks [59]. In our study, IBA also enhanced the rooting in A. amnicola.
According to Richardson et al. [46], fourwing saltbush cuttings could be rooted best in the summer,
butA. amnicolarooted best in winter, followed by the rainy season and summer. According to Sharma
and Sen [60] and Rajput and Sen [61], respectively, winter is most suitable for the vegetative propagation
ofTamarixandAtriplex. The present results also support these views.
The results of field experiments showed that NAA is more effective than IBA and IAA. The increased
appearance of new leaves with an increase in the percentage of rooting also points to better rooting possi-
bilities, with the emergence of more new leaves on the cuttings. The greater number of roots per cutting
and the greater number of leaves may also help the cuttings to survive when sown in natural conditions.
III. VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION OF MULBERRY (Morusspp.)
Since the dawn of agriculture, one of the principal aims of human beings has been the control and pro-
motion of plant growth to satisfy human needs. These two important aspects of people’s work with plants
in the struggle to increase production are by no means synonymous. Humans soon realized that lush green
growth does not always produce the best crop in the form of fruit and seeds, and hence they were forced
to evolve such well-known cultural methods as pruning, balanced manuring, and use of mineral fertiliz-
ers to regulate the nature and luxuriance of plant growth.
The naturally occurring (endogenous) growth substances are commonly known as plant hormones,
while the synthetic ones are called growth regulators. A plant hormone (synonym: phytochrome) is an or-
ganic compound synthesized in one part of a plant and translocated to another part, where at very low con-
centrations it causes a physiological response. Plant hormones are identified as promoters (auxin, gib-
berellin, and cytokinin), inhibitors (abscisic acid, xanthoxin, and violaxanthin), and ethylene and other
hypothetical growth substances (florigen, death hormone, etc.). They usually exist in plants and crops at
a concentration lower than 1 M; above this, they are generally considered supraoptimal [62].
Mulberry is propagated either through seeds or vegetatively. The latter is the more common method
of propagation because of such advantages as maintenance of particular properties of the plant, relative
speed in raising saplings in large numbers for plantation, adaptability to a particular habitat, and abilities
to develop resistance to pests and diseases and to modify the growth of plants. Propagation through seeds
has reached certain limitations. For example, triploid plants, which do not produce viable seeds, cannot
be propagated. It is not possible to reproduce true to the type from a seed of biparental origin.
Mulberry is a highly heterozygous plant that is open for cross-fertilization. Therefore, the seeds that
are formed through open pollination are natural hybrids. Seedling populations from such seeds provide
VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION OF SALTBUSH AND MULBERRY 135