Effect of Ascorbic acid or Chitosan application with Indole-3-Butyric Acid on rooting of Parrotia persica cuttings

Vegetative propagation is one of the important conservation means of native and threatened tree species. The aim of this study was to find a suitable treatment for increasing the rooting of Parrotia persica hardwood cuttings. For this purpose, the factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications. The hardwood cuttings were taken from one-year-old shoots in December. After treatment with or without 2% Ascorbic acid or 1% Chitosan, cuttings were treated with different concentrations of IBA (0, 2000, 4000, 6000 or 8000 mg/L). The traits of rooting percentage, number of roots per cuttings, average root length, root diameter, and root volume were evaluated after five months. Results showed that all rooting traits increased with increasing IBA concentration. Further, the application of 2% Ascorbic acid with IBA was more effective than Chitosan on improving rooting traits. Application of 2% Ascorbic acid in combination with IBA significantly increased rooting percentage, root length, root diameter, and root volume. The highest rooting percent (61.54%), root length (23.54 cm), main root diameter (0.76 mm) and root volume (3.43 mm3) were observed in 8000 mg/L IBA in combination with 2% Ascorbic acid. Therefore, the application of Ascorbic acid had a positive effect on the rooting of Parrotia persica hardwood cuttings.