OPTIMIZING ROOT CUTTING SUCCESS IN PAULOWNIA SPP

The use of root cuttings is standard nursery practice for the vegetati ve propagation of Paulownia plants. To investigate whether size or pos ition in the original root system affected the ability to regenerate n ew tissues, cuttings were taken from P. tomentosa and P. fortunei plan ts. It was found that regenerative ability did not diminish with incre asing distance (both horizontal and vertical) from the root collar. Re generative ability was more closely coupled with cutting diameter as c uttings from both species that were 5 mm or less in diameter produced less shoot growth. New root development was not affected by cutting di ameter. All the cuttings showed strong lateral polarity. It can be con cluded that cuttings taken from any part of the root system of Paulown ia have the capacity to regenerate new tissues, providing the cuttings are of a sufficient size.