Breadfruit propagation – Merging plant tissue culture technology and traditional grafting. (225)
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Keywords

Chataigne
microcuttings
epicotyl grafting
plant height
tree dieback

How to Cite

Breadfruit propagation – Merging plant tissue culture technology and traditional grafting. (225). (2016). Tropical Agriculture, 93(5). https://journals.sta.uwi.edu/ojs/index.php/ta/article/view/6524

Abstract

In Trinidad and Tobago, chataigne is grown under a wider range of environmental conditions than breadfruit and unlike breadfruit has been observed to be unaffected by tree dieback and can therefore serve as a rootstock for desirable breadfruit cultivars. This study examines the grafting success of in vitro generated breadfruit scion (‘Yellow’ cultivar) onto the epicotyls of chataigne seedlings. Breadfruit microcuttings were grafted on to 7, 14, 21 or 28 day - old chataigne seedlings in the epicotyl region using the top wedge method. Data on scion height, height of the grafted plant and scion leaf number were collected after six months. All graft unions survived and there was no significant difference in scion height, overall height of the grafted plant and scion leaf number among the grafts done on rootstock of various ages. We present a novel approach to grafting breadfruit on chataigne by selecting rejuvenated scion; breadfruit microcuttings for grafting onto the juvenile epicotyls of chataigne seedlings. The results demonstrate the potential of this approach to produce large numbers of propagules suitable for planting in coastal and inland locations where the water table is high. It is also probable that commercial nurseries could potentially produce these propagules twice per year when the recalcitrant chataigne seeds are available.
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