WHY NOT LONG CUTTINGS IN CHESTNUT?

The objectiveness of using extremely long leafy cuttings (min. 50 cm) in chestnut was proven in two experiments in the years 2004 and 2005. Two cultivars ‘Marsol’ and ‘Maraval’ (included only in 2004) of hybrid chestnut Castanea crenata × Castanea sativa were included in experiments.
Short (15 cm) and long cuttings (50 cm) were compared in both years, inserted in a substrate mixture of peat and sand (3:1 ratio) with fertiliser ‘Osmocote’ (16+11+11+3Mg+Te) and lime to adjust the substrate pH-level to 4.0. Cuttings were treated with 0.5% IBA before inserting in the substrate.
The behaviour of cutting length regarding rooting response was different in both years.
Long cuttings of both cultivars rooted with 23.5% for ‘Marsol’ and 21.9% for ‘Maraval’, much better in 2004 than short cuttings.
They developed more main roots (3.7 roots ‘Marsol’ and 6.5 roots ‘Maraval’) and also their main sprout growth (31.0 cm ‘Marsol’ and 20.8 cm ‘Maraval’) was stronger.
Rooting of short cuttings was with 16.1%, in opposite, much better in 2005 when these cuttings developed 3.0 main roots in average and they grew with 37.6 cm in average better than long cuttings.

I European Congress on Chestnut – Castanea 2009

G. Osterc, A. Solar, F. Štampar

Castanea crenata × Castanea sativa, ‘Marsol’, ‘Maraval’, leafy cutting

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.866.42