Vol. 12, Issue 5 (2023)

Author(s):
Binu N Kamalolbhavan

Abstract:
Melia dubia, commonly known as Malabar neem, is a fast-growing indigenous species. It is considered a major wood in plywood and paper industries, and the plant is put into various medicinal uses, preferred for use in packing cases, cigar planks etc. There is a dearth in the availability of good planting material. The main difficulty in establishing forest plantation of this species is the poor germination capacity of seeds. An experiment was done to standardize the vegetative techniques in Melia dubia using three different hormones at different concentrations. The results of different hormones IBA, IAA and NAA on the rooting and sprouting percentage of the cuttings obtained from the two-month-old seedlings showed that the hormone IBA gave the best results. It was observed that the sprouting and rooting percentages of cuttings were 56 and 48.6 per cent, respectively. The values for these observations were lower when cuttings were treated with the hormones IAA and NAA. Effect of growth regulators and their concentrations on the percentage of root initiation and sprouting of the Melia hardwood cuttings showed that the hormone IBA at 6000 mg l-1 concentration was the best combination as far as the number of days to sprout, and the percentage of root initiation was considered. For standardization of clonal progenies, cuttings from the seedlings, semi-hardwood cuttings from mature trees and root suckers by damaging the roots were taken to develop a method for mass multiplication of the Melia dubia. Three different auxins, IBA, NAA, and IAA, at different concentrations were administered. The result showed that the best treatment for the cuttings and root suckers was IBA at 1000 ppm. For the semi-hardwood cuttings, monoclonal technology was used, and the best treatment observed was IBA at 6000 ppm.