Investigation of propagation and rooting ability in cuttings of Rosa damascena

Investigation on appropriate conditions for propagation of Rosa damascene was started with study of rooting in cuttings as a prerequisite to successful vegetative propagation. To do this an effort was made to propagate 55 out of 80 genotypes of this plant using stem cuttings in sand. Regular irrigation and weed control were also accomplished. Another experiment was carried out using tap water instead of sand culture for rooting of two of the above genotypes under dark or light with daily replenishment of water. Many of the tested genotypes did not root and only 7 genotypes showed rooting capacity with the rates of 50, 24, 12, 10, 6, 5, 5, and 5 percent in sand. However, rooting occurred successfully in both genotypes in tap water, none of which rooted in sand.
It could be concluded from these studies that there is a wide variation in rooting potentiality between different genotypes. In addition to .the internal factors, which may differ according to genotype, external factors such as rooting media or environmental conditions can also affect rooting capability. Thus, the investigation is required to be continued in order to study the plant internal factors, their genetic control, and also external factors, which could affect adventitious root formation in the plant.