Clonal Propagation of Broussonetia Papyrifera by Stem and Root Cuttings

Abstract

Broussonetia papyrifera, locally known as ‘York’, is an introduced tree species in Ghana due to its potential for industrial cellulose, pulp, and paper production. Its unwanted spread in forest areas due to the introduction of both male and female plants has called for its control using approaches such as establishment of only male populations. This study assessed clonal propagation effects of cutting type and length on stem and root cuttings of male B. papyrifera plants. A factorial experiment comprising two factors: cutting type (leafy and non-leafy cuttings) and cutting length (5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm) arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications was set up for stem cuttings. For root cuttings, a single factor experiment comprising cutting lenghts (5 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm) in a RCBD was used. Non-leafy stem cuttings significantly (p < 0.01) produced longer (2.82 ± 0.34cm) and higher number of roots (1.67 ± 0.14) than leafy cuttings that had values of (2.00 ± 0.25 cm) and (1.16 ± 0.09) respectively 12 weeks after planting. Survival %, rooting %, number of leaves, dry root and shoot biomass were relatively higher for non-leafy but statistically similar to leafy cuttings. The 15 cm and 10 cm cuttings recorded significantly (p < 0.001) higher survival %, rooting %, number of leaves, number of roots, root length, dry root and shoot biomass than the 5cm cuttings. The interaction between cutting type and length significantly (p ≤ 0.01) influenced only root length and dry root biomass. The length of root cuttings had a significant (p ≤ 0.01) influence on the propagation ability of B. papyrifera 10 weeks after planting. The results indicate that B. papyrifera is amenable to clonal propagation but further studies are required to improve the rooting of cuttings using different leaf areas and growing media, rooting hormones, and different cuttings types or sizes.