The Effects of Media, Hormones, and Stem Diameter on Adventitious Rooting of Acacia confusa Stem Cuttings

The Formosa Acacia (Acacia confusa) is a woody perennial species native to Southeast Asia.  This tree has historically been used for teas, condiments, lumber, and traditional medicines. Seed propagation is common with A. confusa, but there is a lack of information regarding its potential for asexual propagation.  Our investigation focused on the influence of media, hormones, and stem diameter of stem cutting rooting success.  The experiment was a two-way factorial (media × hormones) arrangement on a complete randomized block design.  Cuttings were all selected from the same three-year old mother plant and randomly placed in four media treatments; 1) Berger BP-P commercial mix, 2) 1:1 ratio of Coir and Peat, 3) Perlite, and 4) 1:1 ratio of Peat and Perlite.  In each media treatment, half of the cuttings were subjected to a 0.3% IBA (Indole-3-butyric Acid) treatment.  All treatment combinations were placed on an automated misting bench with bottom heat in the greenhouse for eight weeks. Upon data collection, cutting diameters were all measured directly above the second node.  Each individual was assessed for the presence of rooting and the number of roots.  The use of IBA significantly increased the presence of rooting and the number of roots per cutting in all media treatments.  Media treatments containing perlite produced fewer rooting individuals and reduced number of roots per cutting.  These data provide preliminary observations towards developing efficient asexual propagation protocol for A. confusa.