Standardization of Propagation through cuttings in Salacia fruticosa Heyne ex Lawson: A Medicinal Plant Endemic to Western Ghats

Salacia fruticosa Heyne ex Lawson, one of the red listed medicinal plants belonging to the family Celastraceae which is categorised as threatened by IUCN due to unsustainable and indiscriminate harvesting for commercial purposes. Traditional propagation techniques cannot cater to large scale planting stock production of this valuable species due to poor fruit set and seed germination hence the vegetative propagation has to be resorted to meet the planting stock requirement. Present investigation was carried out at Kerala Forest Research Institute to standardize the vegetative propagation protocol of S. fruticosa through stem cuttings with growth regulators in different season. Semi hard wood and hardwood cuttins were collected in three seasons (January-April, May-August and September- December) and treated with Indole Butyric Acid and Naphthalene Acetic Acid in different concentrations. Rooting response was measured after two weeks in the mist chamber. The adventitious rhizogenesis of S. fruticosa stem cuttings was influenced by type of cutting, season of collection, type of growth regulator and its concentration. Semi hardwood leafy cuttings, treated with 3000 mg/l of IBA during January – April was the successful method for vegetative propagation (80% rooting) to produce the planting stock. Significant increase in number of new leaves, root length also recorded for the same treatment. Hence, we recommend the same treatment combination for the large scale planting production in S. Fruticosa.

The adventitious rhizogenesis of S. fruticosa depends on type of cutting, season of collection, type of growth regulator and its concentration