Stenting Propagation-A Method in Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Using Wild Species of Piper as Rootstock

Grafting black pepper on resistant rootstock is a common practice for controlling soil borne diseases viz., quick wilt (Phytophthora capsici), slow wilt (Fusarium solani) and root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). Adifferent approach of stenting method of propagation was attempted, where formation of the union and adventitious roots on the rootstock occurs simultaneously. This experiment was aimed to assess stenting (cutting and grafting) method of propagation in black pepper using two scion cultivars viz., Panniyur-1 and Karimunda on three, four and five nodal cuttings of the two wild species of pepper viz., Piper attenuatum Buch.-Ham.ex Miq. and Piper hymenophyllum Miq. as rootstocks. After 120^th day of stenting, P. hymenophyllum had more success rate (42.78%) than P. attenuatum (36.11%) at three node levels. Among the scions, Karimunda had more success (44.44%) than Panniyur-1 (41.11%) on P. hymenophyllum. Among the nodal levels, maximum success with significance was observed with rootstocks having three nodes.