Effect of IBA and NAA on stool layering in apple clonal rootstock Merton 793

The investigation to find out the effect of IBA (1500 ppm, 2000 ppm and 2500 ppm), NAA (3000 ppm, 4000 ppm and 5000 ppm) and its combination (1500 ppm IBA + 3000 ppm NAA) on rooting and growth of stool shoots of apple clonal rootstock Merton 793 through stool layering were carried out under open field conditions. There were eight treatments with randomized block design. The results revealed that highest percentage of rooted stool shoot (84.57%), number of rooted stool shoots (7.23/stool), number of adventitious roots per stool shoot (17.71), total root length (4.80 m), linear growth of stool shoot (127.76 cm), stool shoot diameter (12.03 mm), leaf area (11.31 cm²), root to shoot ratio (0.088), and total biomass in terms of fresh (110.38 g) and dry weight (67.08 g) was recorded in the stool shoots treated with IBA 2500 ppm. whereas, the number of leaves per stool shoot (78.99) and average root diameter (1.64 mm) was recorded in IBA 1500 ppm + NAA 3000 ppm treatments.