The effect of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), cultivar and internal carbohydrate concentrations on rooting
ability of 1–10 cm long leafy cuttings of ‘Arbequina’ (easy to root) and ‘Kalamata’ (difficult to root) olive
cultivars was studied in three continuous seasons (summer, autumn and spring). Cuttings bases were
treated for 5 s with 2000 mg L−1 IBA. The percentage of rooted cuttings was recorded three months later
while carbohydrates were analyzed during the early phases of rhizogenesis. The IBA treatment increased
the rooting percentage in ‘Arbequina’ but did not affect that of ‘Kalamata’ which was less than 3%. The
maximum rooting percentage of ‘Arbequina’ was achieved in summer (76%) while the lowest in spring
(37%). The highest rooting percentage of ‘Arbequina’ in summer coincided with the highest initial soluble
sugars concentration in cuttings, especially that of glucose and the lowest starch concentrations. A
significant reduction in individual and total sugars concentration was found during the early phases of
rhizogenesis. All these results indicate that soluble sugars are more important than starch in rooting of
olive.
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