A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION OF SALTTOLERANT TREE SPECIES

Abstract

This experiment was undertaken primarily to study the influence of salinity onroot formation of curttings, taken from four promising salt-tolerant species,namely Acacia leucophioea (Katu andara), Cassia autriculata (Ranawara),Thespesia populnea (Suriya), and Salvadora persica (Malittha).

Here, semi hard wood cuttings of each species were planted in poly bags filledwith soil, and arranged ReBD with four replicates. Saline solutions (i.e., 2, 4, 8and 12 dS/m) were applied at the rate of 100,1 per poly bag, once in two days lipto the period of one month. Sea water (40 dS/m) diluted to give varying salinitylevels and normal water (0.13 dS/m) was used as the control. The experiment wasconducted, during the period of March,-June 2000, at the Faculty of Agriculture,University of Ruhuna, Mapalana, Kamburupitiya, Sri Lanka.

The results of the study indicated that any of four species did not form roots, evenin the control. Thus, experiment was repeated, and carried out up to the period oftwo months. At the end of two months. Suriya had formed several roots and other3 species did not form roots at all. Highest rooting percentage and highest rootelongation were obtained in low salinity levels «4 dS/m). However, number ofroots and lengths of roots were decreased as the level of salinity increased (>8dS/m).

According to this study. rooting is considered as a very difficult task in cuttings ofKatu Andara, Ranawara and Malittha. But for Suriya it can be considered assuccessful method of propagation.