Rapid Vegetative Propagation Method for Carob

Abstract

Most of fruit species are propagated by vegetative methods such as budding, grafting, cutting, suckering, layering etc. to avoid heterozygocity. Carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua L.) are of highly economical value and are among the most difficult to propagate fruit species. In the study, air-layering propagation method was investigated first time to compare wild and cultivated (‘Sisam’) carob types. In the experiment, one year old carob limbs were air-layered on coco peat medium by wrapping with aluminum foil and polyethylene film. Initial roots were observed after three months of treatment and the well rooted limbs were cut-off after six months of treatment. Root length, diameter, and the number of roots were recorded on treated shoots and the rooted shoots were transferred into soil. As a result, it has been found that air-layering is successful in carob. This method is more labor intensive and thus it is recommend the method only for genetically important carob types propagation.