Rooting of sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) juvenile cuttings in microtunnels

Abstract

The seeds of sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) have high levels of proteins and unsaturated fatty acids, and due to their nutraceutical potential, their demand in the international market has increased in recent years. This study aims at developing a method for rooting juvenile cuttings of sacha inchi in microtunnels, in order to propagate plants with superior genetic traits and shorten production cycles. Two experiments were carried out in randomized complete block designs. In the first experiment were used juvenile cuttings of 8 cm and 2000 ppm of indolebutyric acid (IBA) according to previous studies, and tested two types of substrates (sand and Jiffy pellets) and two frequencies of nebulized irrigation (once per day and three times per day, each application was for 30 seconds). In the second experiment were used again cuttings of 8 cm, and tested three levels of leaf area (25, 50 and 75 cm2) and five concentrations of IBA (0, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 6000 ppm). Data were submitted to analysis of variance and means were compared by Tukey test at 5% probability. The results show that using Jiffy pellets, one nebulized irrigation per day, juvenile cuttings of 8 cm length with 75 cm2 of leaf area, and 2000 ppm of IBA induced high percentages of rooting (93.3%) and the best root formation in the process of vegetative propagation of sacha inchi.