Adventitious rooting of fig (Ficus carica L.) stem cuttings in the Sandy Bris Soil

• Main Authors: Salleh, Mohd Syahmi, Nordin, Mohd Shukor, Shahari, Rozilawati, Tajudin, Nur Shuhada, Che Amri, Che Nurul Aini
• Other Authors: Zainuddin, Zarina
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English; English
• Published: Noor Publishing 2021
• Subjects: QK Botany; SB Plant culture
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/96653/7/96653_Adventitious%20rooting%20of%20fig%20%28Ficus%20carica%20L.%29%20stem%20cuttings%20in%20the%20Sandy%20Bris%20Soil.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/96653/14/96653_Adventitious%20rooting%20of%20fig-book_chapter.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/96653/

The most suitable type of fig (Ficus carica L.) to be grown in Malaysia is common fig. However, the seeds of common fig are non-viable. Thus, the planting material is usually produced through stem cuttings by using peat moss as propagation media. Although an acceptable rate of adventitious rooting could be achieved, the cost of production is substantial. Substituting peatmoss with under utilized sandy beach ridges interspersed with swales (BRIS) soil which contain more than 90% of sand may significantly reduce the cost of production. Hence, this research was conducted to investigate the potential of substituting peatmoss with sandy BRIS soil as propagation media for adventitious rooting of fig stem cuttings. The experiment was conducted using factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD). Two types of stem cutting mainly semi-hardwood (C1) and softwood (C2) were used as propagation material. Propagation media used were the mixture of peatmoss (PM) and BRIS soil (BS) in the following ratios of PM:BS mainly 100% PM (M1), 75:25 (M2), 50:50 (M3), 25:75 (M4), and 100% BS (M5), respectively. Survival rate and stem anatomy were recorded and observed at the end of the experiment (day 56 after sowing). Stem anatomy of C1 was slightly different compared to C2 with the presence of cork and cork cambium layers. The C1 recorded 100% survival rate under M2 as compared to C2 of only 80%. However, under M5, the C2 recorded significantly higher survival rate at 60% as compared to C1 at 0%. Hence, the present study had highlighted the potential of substituting peat moss with BRIS soil for the propagation of fig stem cutting.