2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Native to western North America, blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulea Raf.) is well adapted to the alkaline soils and short growing seasons of the arid, high elevation conditions found in the Intermountain West. However, domestication of this species for local fruit production has been hampered by difficulty in propagating superior selections. Experiments were conducted over 4 seasons to develop viable propagation protocols. Semi-hardwood cuttings from wild-grown plants collected at full bloom, and treated with a commercial NAA formulation had rooting success greater than 60%. The highest success rates (approaching 100%) were from two-node hardwood cuttings taken from greenhouse-grown stock plants. The cuttings were from the previous season’s growth, dipped in 0.2% NAA, and then cold callused for 14 to 18 wk at 4 to 6°C before being placed in a greenhouse at 24/18°C for six weeks. These methods will allow for commercial-scale propagation of blue elderberry for both the landscape and the specialty food products industries.