Impact of Location, Seasonality, and Iba Concentration on Rooting of Prunus angustifolia

Interest in native plums has led to the initiation of a sand plum (Prunus angustifolia Marsh.) evaluation program in Oklahoma.  Propagation by cuttings is being investigated as a method for generating clones of outstanding selections.  However, recommendations for sand plum cuttings do not exist and recommendations for other Prunus spp. vary.  The objective of this experiment was to determine which season and IBA concentration would produce the greatest total rooting percentage for P. angustifolia.  Hardwood cuttings were collected in May, August, and October from three different clonal mots in Payne County, OK.  Five reps. of 15 cuttings each were used.  Cuttings were treated with Hortus IBA Water Soluble Salt treatments of 0, 100, 1000, 3000. and 7000 ppm using the quick dip method.  Immediately after being dipped, the cuttings were stuck in a half vermiculite/half perlite media and placed under mist for 52 days.  Rooting percentages were recorded.  Results indicated that rooted success varied by mot location.  For two of the mots, total rooting significantly increased as IBA concentration increased. Within those two mots, cuttings taken in August showed a significantly (P < 0.05) higher rooting percentage (averaging 73%) than cuttings taken in May and October using 7000 ppm IBA.  Results indicate that when taking cuttings for sand plums, results will be variable depending on location but higher IBA rates and taking cuttings during August is recommended for greater rooting success.