Nursery Rooting of Cuttings from Seedlings of Slash and Loblolly Pine

Author： Frampton L. John Hodges James F.

Publisher： Society of American Foresters

ISSN： 0148-4419

Source： Southern Journal of Applied Forestry, Vol.13, Iss.3, 1989-08, pp. : 127-132

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Abstract

Methods used to root slash (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Englem.) and loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) pine cuttings from 1-0 seedlings in outdoor nursery beds are described. The species, the date of setting (February or March) and the type of shoot collected (succulent, top-pruned or bud-set) influenced rooting success. A February rather than March setting date is recommended. The succulent shoot type rooted best for slash pine while nonsucculent shoot types rooted best for loblolly pine. When considering all types of shoots set in February, slash and loblolly pine cuttings rooted at 77 and 69%, respectively. After lifting, approximately 70% of the cuttings that rooted (or 52% of all cuttings set in February) were judged acceptable for planting. Current costs of producing rooted cuttings exceed that of barefoot seedlings. However, as technology is developed to root cuttings on a larger scale in the nursery, the superior genetic quality of plantations derived from rooted cuttings may offset their extra cost, relative to seedlings, enough to economically justify their operational use. If so, these procedures will offer forest managers an additional and more effective option than seedling propagation for exploiting genetic variation in order to enhance forest productivity. South. Appl. For. 13(3):127-132.