VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION OF CALLIANDRA-CALOTHYRSUS (MEISSNER)

The effects of propagation medium and the type of auxin on root and sh oot development of stem cuttings of Calliandra calothyrsus were invest igated in two experiments. Cuttings were taken from four-week-old copp ice shoots from a cleared C. calothyrsus plantation. In Experiment 1, the effects of five propagation media; fine sand (FS) (3 mm), sawdust (SD), fine gravel (FG) (6 mm) and 50:50 mixtures of FS:SD and FG:SD we re compared. In Experiment 2, two commercial brands of auxin rooting p owder - 'Seradix 3' (IBA) and 'Bouture CF' (NAA, IBA and MNAA) were ev aluated. The experiments were done in a low-cost, non-mist propagator system in Cameroon. Propagation medium had a significant (P = 0.05) ef fect on mean rooting percentage (FS = 43% and FS:SD = 93%). The effect of the media on shoot growth from the cuttings (height, basal diamete r and root biomass) were also significant (P = 0.05). The application of both the commercial brands of auxin significantly enhanced rooting (84% for untreated cuttings and 91% for IBA-treated cuttings). Bouture CF promoted shoot development from the cuttings, while Seradix 3 inhi bited shoot development. The results indicate that in the humid lowlan ds of Cameroon, where seed productivity of C. calothyrsus is known to be very poor, large-scale production of young plants using these techn iques is possible.