ROOTING OF CUTTINGS Ficus benjamina L.

Abstract

Ficus benjamina L. (Moraceae) has been widely used for ornamentation because its leaves are perennial and bright and adaptable in environments with little internal lighting. As the main form of reproduction of this genera is the vegetative propagation, this work aimed to determine the effect of different concentrations of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in rooting from stem cuttings and bud with leaf of F. benjamina. The experiments were conducted in UFPR in Curitiba - PR, between April and June 2005, with stem cuttings up to 10 cm in length, containing two apical leaves and cuttings of bud with leaf of 1 cm from the stem containing a bud and an entire leaf. The cuttings, undergoing treatment with NAA at concentrations of 500 and 1000 mg L^-1 for 10 seconds and the control, were planted in tubes containing vermiculite, and kept in greenhouse for 56 days. We evaluated the percentage of cutting rooting, with calluses, living and dead, number and average length of the roots. For stem cuttings was statistical difference in the variables sets and the average length of root, and the bud with leaf cuttings, significant difference in the length of root parameter. So to stem cuttings suggested that the use of 500 mg L^-1 of NAA, while for bud with leaf cutting is not necessary to apply this plant regulator.