TITLE:
Effect of Indole 3-Butyric Acid and Media Type on Adventitious Root Formation in Sheanut Tree (Vitellaria paradoxa C. F. Gaertn.) Stem Cuttings
AUTHORS:
Daniel Brain Akakpo, Naalamle Amissah, Julius Yeboah, Essie Blay
KEYWORDS:
Coppiced; Indole 3-Butyric Acid; Sheanut Tree; Cuttings; Rooting Medium
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.3,
January
26,
2014
ABSTRACT: Shea nuts play an important role in food security
for rural folks within sub-Sahara Africa, serving as the main source of income
for many people living in Northern Ghana. Unfortunately, the full economic
potential of the Sheanut tree has not been fully realized due to the difficulty
involved in its domestication. This difficulty in vegetatively propagating
sheanut trees has greatly hindered its cultivation and the realization of its
true economic potential. Two
experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of rooting media and
varying indole 3-butyric acid (IBA) concentrations on adventitious root
formation in cuttings taken from coppiced sheanut trees. Results indicated that
3000 ppm produced significantly (p 0.05) better rooting (57.5%) than 5000 ppm (30%),
7000 ppm (45.0%) and the control (7.5%). Although the levels of soluble sugars
(SS) and total free phenols (TFP) in the cutting were significantly (p 0.05) higher
at the end of the experiment (after IBA treatment) compared to the start (prior
to IBA treatment), the SS and TFP trends observed did not clearly explain the
rooting differences found between the IBA levels investigated. Callus formation
was significantly (p 0.05) higher (35.0%) in the control (no IBA).
Generally, callus formation decreased with increasing IBA concentration. In the
rooting media experiment, rooting was significantly (p 0.05) higher
in the rice husk medium (35.0%) compared to that in the palm fiber (18.3%), saw
dust (14.1%) and top soil (16.7%) media.