Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) propagation using different types of cuttings and root-initiating substances

Abstract

Grapes can be propagated through hardwood or semi-hardwood cuttings using various root-initiating substances. This study investigated different types of cuttings and root-initiating substances for grape propagation. The research evaluated the rooting response of different types of cuttings (semi-hardwood cuttings with one, two, three, or four buds and hardwood cuttings with one, two, three, or four buds) and various types of root-initiating substances (moringa leaf extract, young coconut water, honey, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera gel extract, and α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA)). Cuttings were taken from a healthy, disease-free grapevine mother plant (White Malaga variety), and carried out in a Completely Randomized Design replicated three times. Hardwood cuttings resulted in significantly more roots, longer shoots, and more leaves compared to semi-hardwood cuttings. Moreover, cuttings with three or four buds had significantly higher number of roots, rooting percentage, root length, number of leaves, and percentage survival compared to cuttings with one bud. Furthermore, grapevine cuttings applied with NAA had the highest rooting percentage, root length, and survivability. Comparable results were found in cuttings applied with young coconut water or apple cider vinegar. Based on these results, the selection of hardwood grapevine cuttings with three or four buds and the application of NAA, coconut water or apple cider vinegar as root-initiating substances are recommended.