Evaluation of the Efficiency of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Cladode Cuttings for Vegetative Multiplication

Authors

  • Sondes STAMBOULI-ESSASSI University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Bioresources, Biotechnology and Climate Change Laboratory, Manar II, 1060 Tunis (TN)
  • Rania HARRABI University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Bioresources, Biotechnology and Climate Change Laboratory, Manar II, 1060 Tunis (TN)
  • Sadok BOUZID University of Tunis El Manar, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Bioresources, Biotechnology and Climate Change Laboratory, Manar II, 1060 Tunis (TN)
  • Fethia HARZALLAH-SKHIRI University of Monastir, High Institute of Biotechnoloy of Monastir, Genetics, Biodiversity and Valorization of Bioresources Laboratory, Street Tahar Haddad, 5000 Monastir (TN)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha43210049

Abstract

In Tunisia, Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., occupying many hundreds of thousand hectares, constitutes a future plant as a fruit tree, mainly due to its edible fruit and vegetal mass used as food. The continuously increasing demand for young plants for the extension of its cultivation requires the research of rapid, efficiency and economic methods ensuring conformity multiplication. With aim to a large production of plant material, a rapid in situ propagation method of the prickly pear cactus was developed. Varied portions of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes harvested in spring or in autumn, planted horizontally or vertically were used in order to optimize rhizogenesis and secondary cladode initiation rates. Half, quarter and the tenth of cladode cuttings harvested and planted in spring vertically and in normal polarity show very interesting results concerning rhizogenesis and caulogenesis. Those portions of cladodes demonstrated the best results, vertically planted in normal polarity and 100% of rooting was observed on right ones. The number of roots was the highest on basal right tenth cuttings (80). Contrariwise, the percentage of secondary cladodes initiated was the highest on apical right cuttings (70 and 74%) and the longest roots were initiated on the two basal tenth cuttings, left and right ones (13 and 14 cm). This fragmentation represents a substantially gain of material and time especially for large cultivated surfaces of Opuntia ficus-indica. Reducing the cladode cutting size, do not reduce its rhizogenesis and caulogenesis potentialities.

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Published

2015-12-05

How to Cite

STAMBOULI-ESSASSI, S., HARRABI, R., BOUZID, S., & HARZALLAH-SKHIRI, F. (2015). Evaluation of the Efficiency of <i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> Cladode Cuttings for Vegetative Multiplication. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 43(2), 521–527. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha43210049

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Research Articles
CITATION
DOI: 10.15835/nbha43210049