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Re: [compost_tea] Re: SuperThrive?



tj - I've been in the horticultural business for 30 years after graduating in Soil Science.  Superthrive has been around longer than I have.  We always had people buying it at the nursery where I worked, especially for indoor plants.  It probably contains some rooting hormones like B12 and growth hormones like Gibberillic  Acid or Indole Buteric Acid. 
 
Saw this at one site:
David Liddle recently sent me an article from an Australian aquaculture magazine where the author noticed the similarity between the smell of SuperThrive and Vegemite (a yeast extract used as a spread or as a soup base). He experimented with using Vegemite and found it really works in the same way as SuperThrive. This information may be useful to those in Europe and other countries where Vegemite is found everywhere and ST isn't.
 
Table 1 shows the trend in rooting and the production of macroroots by the cuttings. All the plants
   A good link to read  which says Superthrive has IBA
that were not treated with IBA were all rooted at 30 days in contrast with the IBA-treated cuttings
which were mostly showing callused tips. At 50 days, a 100% rooting of the untreated cuttings
were observed, followed by 67% rooting of plants dipped in Superthrive solution. Lower percentage
rooting were observed for the IBA-treated plants wherein the least number of rooted cuttings of
13% was recorded from the cuttings that received 200ppm concentration suggesting a suppression
in root initiation by three-folds. On the other hand, the mean number of macroroots formed by
plants in each treatment did not follow the same trend suggested in the rooting ability . The most
number of macroroots (14) were formed by cuttings that were subjected to the 50 ppm IBA as
compared with only 3.66 formed by those that were treated with 200 ppm IBA.
The longest roots of 46.03mm were formed by the cuttings that were not dipped in IBA. The
cuttings that were treated with Superthrive and lower concentrations of the hormone had a mean of
33.31 mm in contrast with the shortest root of 7.33 mm which was formed by the 200ppm-treated
cutting (Figure 2 & Table 2). It should be noted that the figures in parenthesis (Table 1) refer to
cuttings that had callused tips with the most number suggested by cuttings that received 200 ppm
IBA. The trend suggests that spraying with Superthrive in the presence of higher IBA concentration
might have increased the hormone dosage resulting to this condition. The role of hormones in
promoting rooting at low concentration and callus formation at high concentrations is well
recognized.
Table 1. Percentage rooting of A. thurifera shoot tips 50 days after planting.
TREATMENT
PER CENT
ROOTING
MEAN NUMBER
OF
MACROROOTS
Control
100
6.11
Superthrive
67 (33)
8.21
50 ppm IBA
56 (44)
14.16
100 ppm IBA
33 (67)
4.11
200 ppm IBA
13 (87)
3.66
The formation of young shoots or increase in height by rooted cuttings were recognizable
and measurable even if the test materials were still in the rooting medium. Except for the small
height increment of 7.5 mm recorded for the 200 ppm-treated cuttings, higher figures were obtained
from the untreated cuttings (18.16) and those that were exposed to Superthrive (13.77) and lower
concentrations of the hormone giving an average of 14.96. The mean height increment of all the
treatments is 99.46 % better than the height attained by the 200 ppm-treated cuttings (Table 2).
Table 2. Root length and height increment of rooted shoot cuttings
TREATMENT
ROOT LENGTH
(mm)
HEIGHT
INCREMENT
(mm)
Control
46.03
18.16
Superthrive
32.00
13.77
50 ppm IBA
28.33
16.66
100 PPM IBA
26.90
11.25
200 ppm IBA
7.33
7.5
The results from this study are different from those earlier reported for the other species of
Dipterocarps in that in the earlier reports, induced rooting of cuttings were realized in tests that
utilized higher hormone concentrations ranging from 500 to 1000 ppm or even higher levels of
rooting hormone. The duration in rooting was also reported to be two months at the least and
sometimes even longer with varying propagation systems. The current report suggests a more
economical way of rooting a Dipterocarp species especially when the expense for the imported
rooting hormone and gadgets for the misting system are taken into account. It should also be noted
that rooting under the condition described was observed within a much shorter time of only 30 days
in spite of the low hormone levels that were used. While the use of Superthrive spray may have
complicated the results, the concentration that is necessary to attain healthy plants was very low to
warrant a big expense on induction of rooting. The action of Superthrive as foliar spray is not yet
illucidated especially in this particular study. It is therefore recommended that a detailed
investigation on this be carried out. It is further suggested that clonal tests be conducted to justify
the quality and sources of the cuttings.
LITERATURE CITED
DE GUZMAN, E. D., R. M. UMALI and E. D. SOTALBO. 1986. Guide to Philippine
Flora and Fauna. Natural
Resources Management Center, Ministry of Natural Resources and UPLB. Vol. 3.
HALLE, F. and H. RAMIL. 1981. Vegetative propagation of Dipterocarp by stem cuttings
and air layering. Malaysian Forester 44 (2-3): 314-318.
LEAKY, R.R.B, J. WILSON, A..C. NEWTON , D.A. MASON, J.MCP. DICK, and A.D.
WATT. 1993. The role of vegetative propagation, genetic, selection, mycorrhizas and integrated
pest management in the administration of tropical trees. In Proc. Of Intl. BIO-REFOR Workshop.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Pp. 31-36.
POLLISCO, M. T. 1994. Two alternative asexual propagation techniques for some
Dipterocarp species. BIO-REFOR Proc. Of Kangar Workshop, Malaysia. P113.
SAKAI, C., Y. YAMAMOTO, A. SBIAKTO, HENDROMONO and D. PRAMESWARI.
1994. Vegetative propagation of Dipterocarpaceae. BIO-REFOR Proc. Kangar Workshop,
Malaysia. P.147.
SRIVASTAVA, P.B.L. and P. MANGIL. 1991. Vegetative proagation of some
Dipterocarps by cuttings. Malaysian Forester 44 (2-3) 301-31.
ZABALA, N.Q. 1993. Mass vegetative propagation of Dipterocarp species. UNDP/FAO Regional
Project on Improved productivity of man-made forests through application of technological
advances in Tree Breeding and Propagation (RAS/91/004). pp. 4-5.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This study was funded jointly and partially by the Department of the Forest Biological Sciences,
College of Forestry, UPLB and the ERDS-DENR Region 9 through Forester Dante A. Oporto. We
also acknowledge the technical assistance of Ms. Romana M.. Umali, Ms. Marilyn O. Quimado
and Dr. Ernesto P. Militante also of FBS.
Figure 1. Portion of the set up showing plastic sack globules used in incubating the shoot
tip cuttings.
Figure 2. Effect of the different treatments on rooting of
A. thurifera
.
VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION AND CLONAL TESTING OF TWO
GMELINA
ARBOREA
ROXB. PROVENANCES
Mercedes Umali-Garcia, Larry M. Melegrito
1
and
Reynaldo E. de la Cruz
2
1
College of Forestry, University of the Philippines at Los Baños
College, Laguna 4031
2
Director, Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology
ABSTRACT
Cuttings of Gmelina shoot tips were collected from saplings of five seedlots from the Sabah
provenance planting of the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), DENR and
from marcotted branches derived from a local provenance at Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya of Northern
Luzon, processed and used as the experimental units in determining the rooting ability of the
explants in the absence or presence of a 50 ppm or 100 ppm IBA. The cuttings were maintained
under intermittent sprays of mist from fine jet nozzles every after 45 minutes at a duration of 5
minutes under 75% shade.
Under the condition described, rooting was noted after 4 weeks. The number of rooted cuttings
did not statistically differ among treatments with percentages ranging from a low of 59.16 to a high
of 72.5%, the highest percentage was obtained from the untreated control treatment. Mean
macroroot formation was observed to range from 2.0 to 3.3 with 2.0 being observed from the
control treatment and 3.0 from the hormone treated cuttings. Differences in macroroot formation
was attributed due to seedlot or provenance. Based on height and diameter growth increments in
two months and in the presence of 3.0 grams 14-14-14- kg/ha rate provided for each rooted cuttings,
the clones from the seedlots # 5 and 4 of the Sabah provenance and the Diadi provenance exhibited
a mean height increment of 95 cm. in contrast to the smallest height increment of 50 cm which was
recorded from the Sabah seedlot #2. No significant diameter increases were observed among
provenances and seedlots within the provenance. In two months time, the fertilized clones grew by
18 to 20 cm in contrast with only 3.26 cm attained by the unfertilized clones. The effect of
provenance and possibly the genotype of the test materials is demonstrated on rooting, survival and
growth in the nursery but the ;ong term performance of the clones remains to be evaluated under
field condition.
INTRODUCTION
Gmelina arborea
is a fast growing timber species that has been utilized for both agroforestry and
reforestation purposes all over the Asean region. It is drought and fire resistant. It takes only three
years for the tree to reach a merchantable height of 5-8 meters with a diameter of 10-15 cm if grown
on good sites under Philippine condition. It can produce up to 30 m
3
of timber per hectare per year
in fertile sites. Its wood provides myriad uses, from pulp production to manufacture of toothpicks,
chopsticks, popsicle sticks and matchsticks. In the Philippines its wood is the number one material
used for sawn timber and in the fabrication of cement board.
Gmelina is an exotic species in the Philippines but its date of introduction to the country is not
known more so with the exact origin of its seed source.
Gmelina is commonly propagated by seed
because there are no problems met with its germination. However, the use of clonally propagated
superior phenotypes in industrial plantations can generate better economic gains.
Tremendous phenotypic variations have been noted in many plantations all over the islands
ranging from very straight bole to very branchy habit. Selection and propagation of available
desirable phenotypes should be advocated especially when future plantations are intended for
timber production. This study was conducted to determine the possibility of producing clones from
stem cuttings for use not only in the establishment of seed orchards and clonal orchards but also for
large scale clonal planting. We report on the rooting ability, survival and early growth of Gmelina
shoot tip cuttings under nursery condition.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The materials that were used in this study consisted of shoot tip cuttings obtained from saplings of
five seedlots of Sabah provenance which were made available through the FAO/FORTIP project
and from marcoted branches derived from a local provenance Diadi, in Nueva Vizcaya. The latter
provenance is reportedly to be the source of most of the seeds used in establishing the earlier
Gmelina plantations in Luzon island. The marcots were derived from phenotypically desirable
mature trees in selected plantations or trials. Processing of the shoot tip cuttings involved: 1) a
pretreatment in 5% Benlate solution (Benomyl as active ingredient at 500g/kg) for 15 minutes, 2)
immediate soaking of the cut ends in either distilled water (control), 50 ppm IBA, or 100 ppm IBA,
and 3) planting of the treated cuttings into Hiko trays containing coconut coir dust. The cuttings
were maintained in the screencage with 75% shade and under intermittent mist sprays every 45
minutes in a 5 minute duration. The rooting experiment was terminated after 30 days. Immediately
upon collection of pertinent data, ten uniform rooted cuttings were taken from each seedlot of the
Sabah provenance and ten from Diadi provenance, each clone was given a single uniform dose of 3
grams 14-14-14 NPK fertilizer and grown for two months under screencage condition to determine
their survival and growth. Another experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different
NPK combinations on the early growth of the Diadi provenance under nursery condition.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The effects of the treatments on the degree of rooting of the different provenances and seedlots are
demonstrated in table 1. in general, iba treatment did not significantly affect the degree of rooting of
the cuttings based on mean percentages. however, differences in rooting were expressed in some of
the seedlots such as in seedlot # 1 where 100% rooting was observed in the control treatment while
seedlot # 3 produced 20% rooting under the control and 80% when in the presence of the hormone.
on the other hand, seedlot # 5 of the sabah provenance (fig. 1 & 2) and the local diadi provenance
attained the highest degree of rooting with 95-100% regardless of hormone treatment. cuttings
from seedlot # 4 behaved in the same manner except that lower rooting percentage than those in the
diadi and seedlot # 5 of the sabah provenance was suggested. cuttings derived from seedlot # 2 had
the least ability to root with only 10-20% in all treatments. the effect of genotype on rooting ability
is well demonstrated in this parameter. in the case of macroroot production, no significant effect
was detected but the cuttings which were subjected to 100 ppm iba produced slightly more
macroroots than those in the control (table 2). however, the effect of genotype was once more
suggested by the behavior of the parameter wherein the least number of macroroots (0.93 and 1.00)
were synthesized by sabah seedlots # 2 and 3, while the rest yielded an average number of 3.51.
aside from good form, the rooting ability should be considered in the selection for desirable parent
materials intended for establishment of clonal orchard.
Table 1. Interaction of seedlot/provenance and IBA concentration on
percentage rooting of Gmelina shoot tip cuttings.
SEEDLOT
NUMBER
%
ROOTING
CONTROL
%
ROOTING
50 ppm IBA
%
ROOTING
100 ppm IBA
MEAN
% ROOTING
SDLT # 1
100
20
40
53.33
SDLT # 2
40
20
20
26.66
SDLT # 3
20
80
80
60.00
SDLT # 4
80
80
40
66.67
SDLT # 5
100
100
80
93.33
DIADI
95
100
95
96.66
MEAN
72.50
66.66
59.16
66.10
Table 2. Mean number of macroroots formed by the different Gmelina seedlots
SEEDLOT
NUMBER
CONTROL
50 ppm IBA
100 ppm IBA
SEEDLOT
MEAN
SDLT # 1
3.4
0.6
4.8
2.93
SDLT # 2
1.2
0.8
0.8
0.93
SDLT # 3
0.4
1.8
2.2
1.00
SDLT # 4
2.6
4.8
2.4
3.26
SDLT # 5
2.4
4.8
5.0
4.06
DIADI
2.0
4.6
4.8
3.80
MEAN
OF
TREATMENT
S
2.0
2.9
3.3
The effect of genotype is also indicated in the fertilizer experiment conducted on the Gmelina
clones (Table 3). Survival and height growth increment attained by the clones within two months
especially demonstrated that the least responsive to fertilizer input was seedlot # 2 of the Sabah
with 20% survival and a mean of 15.0 cm height increment and that the Diadi provenance and
seedlots # 4, #5, and # 3 of the Sabah provenance could be potential candidates for a clonal
orchard. Figure 3 shows the general appearance of the 2-month old potted clones of the Sabah
provenance. The clones could be mistaken for real seedlings.
Table 3. Survival and height growth of 2-month old Gmelina clones ( Sabah and
Diadi provenance).
PROVENANCE
SURVIVAL
(%)
HEIGHT INCREMENT
(cm)
SDLT # 1
80
20.5
SDLT # 2
50
15.0
SDLT #3
65
20.5
SDLT #4
95
30.5
SDLT # 5
99.5
36.5
DIADI
99.5
33.5
The effect of fertilizer application on the clones in the form of the different NPK
combinations, whether supplied as a slow release or ordinary fertilizer type was found to be
necessary to encourage faster growth. Statistically significant differences in height and
diameter increment are suggested in Table 4. The control clones yielded the shortest plant
stature showing an average increment of 3.26 cm and a diameter of 1.99 mm in contrast with
a mean height increment of 3-4 folds over the unfertilized control. The fertilizer type did not
affect the performance of the Diadi clones. The effect of the slow release and conventional
forms of inorganic fertilizer on the clones may not have been expressed due to the
characteristic short duration of the interaction between the test plants and the source of the
elemental combination. Especially the effect of the slow release form, longer exposure to the
test plant may be necessary.
Table 4. Mean height and diameter increment of two month old rooted cuttings (Diadi provenance)
as affected by type of fertilizer or NPK combinations
TREATMENT/
Fertilizer Type/ NPK
Combination
HEIGHT*
(cm)
DIAMETER *
(mm)
0-0-0
3.26
1.99
17-17-17 coated
19.86 (509)
3.24 (62.81)
20-10-20 coated
20.49 (528)
3.16 (58.80)
24-8-16 coated
18.62 (471)
3.45 (73.36)
14-14-14 uncoated
18.70 (476)
3.77 (89.44)
20-10-20 uncoated
20.12 (517)
3.94 (98.00)
24-8-16 uncoated
15.01 (360)
3.42 (71.85)
Figures in ( ) are increases relative to unfertilized (0-0-0) treatment.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Under the experimental conditions described, the studies conducted demonstrated that it is possible
to mass propagate Gmelina even without using expensive rooting hormones and that in order that
the clones can grow and stay healthy, fertilizer application is necessary. The simple experiments
also suggest the influence of genotype on rooting ability and early growth performance. It is
therefore important that before any attempt to mass propagate the species
en masse
preliminary
screening on rooting ability and consequent clonal tests should be conducted. The environmental
consequence of using inorganic nitrogen fertilizers has been well documented and recognized that is
why there are now slow release or coated fertilizers in the market. The fertilizers that were used in
treatments 2 to 4 are multicote or slow release fertilizers, nevertheless the absence of significant
differences on the growth of the clones does not rule out its long term effect as the growth
parameters were only measured from two months interaction. No tissue analysis was conducted and
therefore the uptake of the elements by the test plants was not calculated. It is recommended that
clonal testing be conducted for a longer time under field condition not only to determine growth rate
or fertilizer responses but also for purposes of assessing growth habit of clones.
ACKNOWLEGEMENT
This study was a part of the project entitled " Tree Improvement and Breeding of Selected Industrial
Plantation Species" which was supported by the
UPLB-PCARRD-NRMP-GOP, 1994-1996.
We
acknowledged the assistance of Mr. Rustico Manangkil and Ms. Romana M. Umali who were both
laboratory technicians under the senior author at that time.
REFERENCES
FLORIDO, L.V. 1978. Vegetative propagation by cuttings of Yemane (
Gmelina arborea
Roxb.)
using hormones. Phil. For. Res. Jour. 3(2):115-225.
ITAN, S., P.B.L. SRIVASTABA and M. DORAISING. 1986. Trials on rooting of cuttings of
Gmelina arborea
Roxb.: Effects of source, hormone treatment, media and frequency of
misting. Malaysian Forester 49(4):332.
TANG, K.S. and P.B.L. SRIVASTABA. 1988. Trials on rooting of Gmelina arborea Roxb.:
Effect of source, hormone treatment and position. Malaysian Forester 48(3-4): 298-313.
Table 1 shows the trend in rooting and the production of macroroots by the cuttings. All the plants
that were not treated with IBA were all rooted at 30 days in contrast with the IBA-treated cuttings
which were mostly showing callused tips. At 50 days, a 100% rooting of the untreated cuttings
were observed, followed by 67% rooting of plants dipped in Superthrive solution. Lower percentage
rooting were observed for the IBA-treated plants wherein the least number of rooted cuttings of
13% was recorded from the cuttings that received 200ppm concentration suggesting a suppression
in root initiation by three-folds. On the other hand, the mean number of macroroots formed by
plants in each treatment did not follow the same trend suggested in the rooting ability . The most
number of macroroots (14) were formed by cuttings that were subjected to the 50 ppm IBA as
compared with only 3.66 formed by those that were treated with 200 ppm IBA.
The longest roots of 46.03mm were formed by the cuttings that were not dipped in IBA. The
cuttings that were treated with Superthrive and lower concentrations of the hormone had a mean of
33.31 mm in contrast with the shortest root of 7.33 mm which was formed by the 200ppm-treated
cutting (Figure 2 & Table 2). It should be noted that the figures in parenthesis (Table 1) refer to
cuttings that had callused tips with the most number suggested by cuttings that received 200 ppm
IBA. The trend suggests that spraying with Superthrive in the presence of higher IBA concentration
might have increased the hormone dosage resulting to this condition. The role of hormones in
promoting rooting at low concentration and callus formation at high concentrations is well
recognized.
Table 1. Percentage rooting of A. thurifera shoot tips 50 days after planting.
TREATMENT
PER CENT
ROOTING
MEAN NUMBER
OF
MACROROOTS
Control
100
6.11
Superthrive
67 (33)
8.21
50 ppm IBA
56 (44)
14.16
100 ppm IBA
33 (67)
4.11
200 ppm IBA
13 (87)
3.66
The formation of young shoots or increase in height by rooted cuttings were recognizable
and measurable even if the test materials were still in the rooting medium. Except for the small
height increment of 7.5 mm recorded for the 200 ppm-treated cuttings, higher figures were obtained
from the untreated cuttings (18.16) and those that were exposed to Superthrive (13.77) and lower
concentrations of the hormone giving an average of 14.96. The mean height increment of all the
treatments is 99.46 % better than the height attained by the 200 ppm-treated cuttings (Table 2).
Table 2. Root length and height increment of rooted shoot cuttings
TREATMENT
ROOT LENGTH
(mm)
HEIGHT
INCREMENT
(mm)
Control
46.03
18.16
Superthrive
32.00
13.77
50 ppm IBA
28.33
16.66
100 PPM IBA
26.90
11.25
200 ppm IBA
7.33
7.5
The results from this study are different from those earlier reported for the other species of
Dipterocarps in that in the earlier reports, induced rooting of cuttings were realized in tests that
utilized higher hormone concentrations ranging from 500 to 1000 ppm or even higher levels of
rooting hormone. The duration in rooting was also reported to be two months at the least and
sometimes even longer with varying propagation systems. The current report suggests a more
economical way of rooting a Dipterocarp species especially when the expense for the imported
rooting hormone and gadgets for the misting system are taken into account. It should also be noted
that rooting under the condition described was observed within a much shorter time of only 30 days
in spite of the low hormone levels that were used. While the use of Superthrive spray may have
complicated the results, the concentration that is necessary to attain healthy plants was very low to
warrant a big expense on induction of rooting. The action of Superthrive as foliar spray is not yet
illucidated especially in this particular study. It is therefore recommended that a detailed
investigation on this be carried out. It is further suggested that clonal tests be conducted to justify
the quality and sources of the cuttings.
LITERATURE CITED
DE GUZMAN, E. D., R. M. UMALI and E. D. SOTALBO. 1986. Guide to Philippine
Flora and Fauna. Natural
Resources Management Center, Ministry of Natural Resources and UPLB. Vol. 3.
HALLE, F. and H. RAMIL. 1981. Vegetative propagation of Dipterocarp by stem cuttings
and air layering. Malaysian Forester 44 (2-3): 314-318.
LEAKY, R.R.B, J. WILSON, A..C. NEWTON , D.A. MASON, J.MCP. DICK, and A.D.
WATT. 1993. The role of vegetative propagation, genetic, selection, mycorrhizas and integrated
pest management in the administration of tropical trees. In Proc. Of Intl. BIO-REFOR Workshop.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Pp. 31-36.
POLLISCO, M. T. 1994. Two alternative asexual propagation techniques for some
Dipterocarp species. BIO-REFOR Proc. Of Kangar Workshop, Malaysia. P113.
SAKAI, C., Y. YAMAMOTO, A. SBIAKTO, HENDROMONO and D. PRAMESWARI.
1994. Vegetative propagation of Dipterocarpaceae. BIO-REFOR Proc. Kangar Workshop,
Malaysia. P.147.
SRIVASTAVA, P.B.L. and P. MANGIL. 1991. Vegetative proagation of some
Dipterocarps by cuttings. Malaysian Forester 44 (2-3) 301-31.
ZABALA, N.Q. 1993. Mass vegetative propagation of Dipterocarp species. UNDP/FAO Regional
Project on Improved productivity of man-made forests through application of technological
advances in Tree Breeding and Propagation (RAS/91/004). pp. 4-5.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This study was funded jointly and partially by the Department of the Forest Biological Sciences,
College of Forestry, UPLB and the ERDS-DENR Region 9 through Forester Dante A. Oporto. We
also acknowledge the technical assistance of Ms. Romana M.. Umali, Ms. Marilyn O. Quimado
and Dr. Ernesto P. Militante also of FBS.
Figure 1. Portion of the set up showing plastic sack globules used in incubating the shoot
tip cuttings.
Figure 2. Effect of the different treatments on rooting of
A. thurifera
.
VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION AND CLONAL TESTING OF TWO
GMELINA
ARBOREA
ROXB. PROVENANCES
Mercedes Umali-Garcia, Larry M. Melegrito
1
and
Reynaldo E. de la Cruz
2
1
College of Forestry, University of the Philippines at Los Baños
College, Laguna 4031
2
Director, Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology
ABSTRACT
Cuttings of Gmelina shoot tips were collected from saplings of five seedlots from the Sabah
provenance planting of the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), DENR and
from marcotted branches derived from a local provenance at Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya of Northern
Luzon, processed and used as the experimental units in determining the rooting ability of the
explants in the absence or presence of a 50 ppm or 100 ppm IBA. The cuttings were maintained
under intermittent sprays of mist from fine jet nozzles every after 45 minutes at a duration of 5
minutes under 75% shade.
Under the condition described, rooting was noted after 4 weeks. The number of rooted cuttings
did not statistically differ among treatments with percentages ranging from a low of 59.16 to a high
of 72.5%, the highest percentage was obtained from the untreated control treatment. Mean
macroroot formation was observed to range from 2.0 to 3.3 with 2.0 being observed from the
control treatment and 3.0 from the hormone treated cuttings. Differences in macroroot formation
was attributed due to seedlot or provenance. Based on height and diameter growth increments in
two months and in the presence of 3.0 grams 14-14-14- kg/ha rate provided for each rooted cuttings,
the clones from the seedlots # 5 and 4 of the Sabah provenance and the Diadi provenance exhibited
a mean height increment of 95 cm. in contrast to the smallest height increment of 50 cm which was
recorded from the Sabah seedlot #2. No significant diameter increases were observed among
provenances and seedlots within the provenance. In two months time, the fertilized clones grew by
18 to 20 cm in contrast with only 3.26 cm attained by the unfertilized clones. The effect of
provenance and possibly the genotype of the test materials is demonstrated on rooting, survival and
growth in the nursery but the ;ong term performance of the clones remains to be evaluated under
field condition.
INTRODUCTION
Gmelina arborea
is a fast growing timber species that has been utilized for both agroforestry and
reforestation purposes all over the Asean region. It is drought and fire resistant. It takes only three
years for the tree to reach a merchantable height of 5-8 meters with a diameter of 10-15 cm if grown
on good sites under Philippine condition. It can produce up to 30 m
3
of timber per hectare per year
in fertile sites. Its wood provides myriad uses, from pulp production to manufacture of toothpicks,
chopsticks, popsicle sticks and matchsticks. In the Philippines its wood is the number one material
used for sawn timber and in the fabrication of cement board.
Gmelina is an exotic species in the Philippines but its date of introduction to the country is not
known more so with the exact origin of its seed source.
Gmelina is commonly propagated by seed
because there are no problems met with its germination. However, the use of clonally propagated
superior phenotypes in industrial plantations can generate better economic gains.
Tremendous phenotypic variations have been noted in many plantations all over the islands
ranging from very straight bole to very branchy habit. Selection and propagation of available
desirable phenotypes should be advocated especially when future plantations are intended for
timber production. This study was conducted to determine the possibility of producing clones from
stem cuttings for use not only in the establishment of seed orchards and clonal orchards but also for
large scale clonal planting. We report on the rooting ability, survival and early growth of Gmelina
shoot tip cuttings under nursery condition.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The materials that were used in this study consisted of shoot tip cuttings obtained from saplings of
five seedlots of Sabah provenance which were made available through the FAO/FORTIP project
and from marcoted branches derived from a local provenance Diadi, in Nueva Vizcaya. The latter
provenance is reportedly to be the source of most of the seeds used in establishing the earlier
Gmelina plantations in Luzon island. The marcots were derived from phenotypically desirable
mature trees in selected plantations or trials. Processing of the shoot tip cuttings involved: 1) a
pretreatment in 5% Benlate solution (Benomyl as active ingredient at 500g/kg) for 15 minutes, 2)
immediate soaking of the cut ends in either distilled water (control), 50 ppm IBA, or 100 ppm IBA,
and 3) planting of the treated cuttings into Hiko trays containing coconut coir dust. The cuttings
were maintained in the screencage with 75% shade and under intermittent mist sprays every 45
minutes in a 5 minute duration. The rooting experiment was terminated after 30 days. Immediately
upon collection of pertinent data, ten uniform rooted cuttings were taken from each seedlot of the
Sabah provenance and ten from Diadi provenance, each clone was given a single uniform dose of 3
grams 14-14-14 NPK fertilizer and grown for two months under screencage condition to determine
their survival and growth. Another experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different
NPK combinations on the early growth of the Diadi provenance under nursery condition.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The effects of the treatments on the degree of rooting of the different provenances and seedlots are
demonstrated in table 1. in general, iba treatment did not significantly affect the degree of rooting of
the cuttings based on mean percentages. however, differences in rooting were expressed in some of
the seedlots such as in seedlot # 1 where 100% rooting was observed in the control treatment while
seedlot # 3 produced 20% rooting under the control and 80% when in the presence of the hormone.
on the other hand, seedlot # 5 of the sabah provenance (fig. 1 & 2) and the local diadi provenance
attained the highest degree of rooting with 95-100% regardless of hormone treatment. cuttings
from seedlot # 4 behaved in the same manner except that lower rooting percentage than those in the
diadi and seedlot # 5 of the sabah provenance was suggested. cuttings derived from seedlot # 2 had
the least ability to root with only 10-20% in all treatments. the effect of genotype on rooting ability
is well demonstrated in this parameter. in the case of macroroot production, no significant effect
was detected but the cuttings which were subjected to 100 ppm iba produced slightly more
macroroots than those in the control (table 2). however, the effect of genotype was once more
suggested by the behavior of the parameter wherein the least number of macroroots (0.93 and 1.00)
were synthesized by sabah seedlots # 2 and 3, while the rest yielded an average number of 3.51.
aside from good form, the rooting ability should be considered in the selection for desirable parent
materials intended for establishment of clonal orchard.
Table 1. Interaction of seedlot/provenance and IBA concentration on
percentage rooting of Gmelina shoot tip cuttings.
SEEDLOT
NUMBER
%
ROOTING
CONTROL
%
ROOTING
50 ppm IBA
%
ROOTING
100 ppm IBA
MEAN
% ROOTING
SDLT # 1
100
20
40
53.33
SDLT # 2
40
20
20
26.66
SDLT # 3
20
80
80
60.00
SDLT # 4
80
80
40
66.67
SDLT # 5
100
100
80
93.33
DIADI
95
100
95
96.66
MEAN
72.50
66.66
59.16
66.10
Table 2. Mean number of macroroots formed by the different Gmelina seedlots
SEEDLOT
NUMBER
CONTROL
50 ppm IBA
100 ppm IBA
SEEDLOT
MEAN
SDLT # 1
3.4
0.6
4.8
2.93
SDLT # 2
1.2
0.8
0.8
0.93
SDLT # 3
0.4
1.8
2.2
1.00
SDLT # 4
2.6
4.8
2.4
3.26
SDLT # 5
2.4
4.8
5.0
4.06
DIADI
2.0
4.6
4.8
3.80
MEAN
OF
TREATMENT
S
2.0
2.9
3.3
The effect of genotype is also indicated in the fertilizer experiment conducted on the Gmelina
clones (Table 3). Survival and height growth increment attained by the clones within two months
especially demonstrated that the least responsive to fertilizer input was seedlot # 2 of the Sabah
with 20% survival and a mean of 15.0 cm height increment and that the Diadi provenance and
seedlots # 4, #5, and # 3 of the Sabah provenance could be potential candidates for a clonal
orchard. Figure 3 shows the general appearance of the 2-month old potted clones of the Sabah
provenance. The clones could be mistaken for real seedlings.
Table 3. Survival and height growth of 2-month old Gmelina clones ( Sabah and
Diadi provenance).
PROVENANCE
SURVIVAL
(%)
HEIGHT INCREMENT
(cm)
SDLT # 1
80
20.5
SDLT # 2
50
15.0
SDLT #3
65
20.5
SDLT #4
95
30.5
SDLT # 5
99.5
36.5
DIADI
99.5
33.5
The effect of fertilizer application on the clones in the form of the different NPK
combinations, whether supplied as a slow release or ordinary fertilizer type was found to be
necessary to encourage faster growth. Statistically significant differences in height and
diameter increment are suggested in Table 4. The control clones yielded the shortest plant
stature showing an average increment of 3.26 cm and a diameter of 1.99 mm in contrast with
a mean height increment of 3-4 folds over the unfertilized control. The fertilizer type did not
affect the performance of the Diadi clones. The effect of the slow release and conventional
forms of inorganic fertilizer on the clones may not have been expressed due to the
characteristic short duration of the interaction between the test plants and the source of the
elemental combination. Especially the effect of the slow release form, longer exposure to the
test plant may be necessary.
Table 4. Mean height and diameter increment of two month old rooted cuttings (Diadi provenance)
as affected by type of fertilizer or NPK combinations
TREATMENT/
Fertilizer Type/ NPK
Combination
HEIGHT*
(cm)
DIAMETER *
(mm)
0-0-0
3.26
1.99
17-17-17 coated
19.86 (509)
3.24 (62.81)
20-10-20 coated
20.49 (528)
3.16 (58.80)
24-8-16 coated
18.62 (471)
3.45 (73.36)
14-14-14 uncoated
18.70 (476)
3.77 (89.44)
20-10-20 uncoated
20.12 (517)
3.94 (98.00)
24-8-16 uncoated
15.01 (360)
3.42 (71.85)
Figures in ( ) are increases relative to unfertilized (0-0-0) treatment.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Under the experimental conditions described, the studies conducted demonstrated that it is possible
to mass propagate Gmelina even without using expensive rooting hormones and that in order that
the clones can grow and stay healthy, fertilizer application is necessary. The simple experiments
also suggest the influence of genotype on rooting ability and early growth performance. It is
therefore important that before any attempt to mass propagate the species
en masse
preliminary
screening on rooting ability and consequent clonal tests should be conducted. The environmental
consequence of using inorganic nitrogen fertilizers has been well documented and recognized that is
why there are now slow release or coated fertilizers in the market. The fertilizers that were used in
treatments 2 to 4 are multicote or slow release fertilizers, nevertheless the absence of significant
differences on the growth of the clones does not rule out its long term effect as the growth
parameters were only measured from two months interaction. No tissue analysis was conducted and
therefore the uptake of the elements by the test plants was not calculated. It is recommended that
clonal testing be conducted for a longer time under field condition not only to determine growth rate
or fertilizer responses but also for purposes of assessing growth habit of clones.
ACKNOWLEGEMENT
This study was a part of the project entitled " Tree Improvement and Breeding of Selected Industrial
Plantation Species" which was supported by the
UPLB-PCARRD-NRMP-GOP, 1994-1996.
We
acknowledged the assistance of Mr. Rustico Manangkil and Ms. Romana M. Umali who were both
laboratory technicians under the senior author at that time.
REFERENCES
FLORIDO, L.V. 1978. Vegetative propagation by cuttings of Yemane (
Gmelina arborea
Roxb.)
using hormones. Phil. For. Res. Jour. 3(2):115-225.
ITAN, S., P.B.L. SRIVASTABA and M. DORAISING. 1986. Trials on rooting of cuttings of
Gmelina arborea
Roxb.: Effects of source, hormone treatment, media and frequency of
misting. Malaysian Forester 49(4):332.
TANG, K.S. and P.B.L. SRIVASTABA. 1988. Trials on rooting of Gmelina arborea Roxb.:
 
 
 
David A. Loring, Project Leader
Southeast Asia Project
Dietrick Institute for Applied Insect Ecology
dloring3@cox.net  ph (760) 489-9438
----- Original Message -----
From: tomjasz
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 6:31 AM
Subject: [compost_tea] Re: SuperThrive?

Can anyone provide anything more than Dr. Thompsons advetising as
evidence of the effectiveness of ST?

Thanks,

tj


--- In compost_tea@yahoogroups.com, "elprune" <elprune@y...> wrote:
> It reportedly contains the plant growth hormone Triacontanol which
> can be extracted from Alfalfa meal.
>
> Had any experience brewing Alfala?
>
>   
> --- In compost_tea@yahoogroups.com, "Jeff Lowenfels" <jeff@g...>
> wrote:
> > Last year I tried superthrive to grow fungi. It wasn't as good as
> oatmeal.  I have never tried it in teas. One of the problems is
> knowing what is in it....again, it looks and smells an awful lot
like
> unfermented soy.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Jeff



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