Propagation of two miombo woodland trees by leafy stem cuttings obtained from seedlings

The rooting ability of leafy stem cuttings harvested from four to five mont h old seedlings of B. spiciformis Benth and P. angolensis DC was tested in low-technology non-mist propagators suitable for the rural tropics. Both sp ecies were successfully rooted; P. angolensis was a faster rooting species (86% after 61 days) compared with B. spiciformis (59% after 154 days). Regr ession analysis suggested that P. angolensis had more stored carbohydrates, which facilitated its rooting while B. spiciformis was more dependant on c urrent assimilates produced during the period of propagation. The results o f this study suggest that it is possible to develop clones of genetically s uperior trees of B. spiciformis and P. angolensis for use in agroforestry o r reforestation programmes.