Effect of Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and Napthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) on rooting performance and plant growth of dragonfruit (Hylocereus polyrhizhus L.) cuttings under protected condition

Abstract

The present investigation entitled “Effect of Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and Napthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) on rooting performance and plant growth of dragonfruit (Hylocereus polyrhizhus L.) cuttings under protected condition” was conducted during 2022-2023 at Research Farm of Centre of Exellence on Protected Cultivation and Precision Farming, Department of Fruit Science, College of Agriculture, IGKV, Raipur (C.G.). The experiment was designed using a Factorial Completely Randomized Design with three replications. It included 15 treatments: T0 (Control), T1 (IBA @ 3000 ppm), T2 (IBA @ 4000 ppm), T3 (IBA @ 5000 ppm), T4 (IBA @ 6000 ppm), T5 (NAA @ 1000 ppm), T6 (NAA @ 1500 ppm), T7 (IBA @ 3000 ppm + NAA @ 1000 ppm), T8 (IBA @ 3000 ppm + NAA @ 1500 ppm), T9 (IBA @ 4000 ppm + NAA @ 1000 ppm), T10 (IBA @ 4000 ppm + NAA @ 1500 ppm), T11 (IBA @ 5000 ppm + NAA @ 1000 ppm), T12 (IBA @ 5000 ppm + NAA @ 1500 ppm), T13 (IBA @ 6000 ppm + NAA @ 1000 ppm) and T14 (IBA @ 6000 ppm + NAA @ 1500 ppm). Dragonfruit cuttings treated with T7 (IBA @ 3000 ppm + NAA @ 1000 ppm), followed by T1 (IBA @ 3000 ppm) and T13 (IBA @ 6000 ppm + NAA @ 1000 ppm), showed a significant impact on several root and shoot growth parameters. The study concluded that dragon fruit cuttings treated with IBA @ 3000 ppm + NAA @ 1000 ppm showed the best performance, with root initiation in 14.95 days, an average of 16.94 roots per cutting, a root length of 16.53 cm and a root volume of 2.58 cc. For shoot parameters, sprouts initiated in 6.42 days, with up to 3.03 sprouts per cutting, a shoot length of 24.98 cm and a survival rate of 96.67%.