Propogation of Taxosium mucronatum from Softwood Cuttings

Abstract

Mexican bald cypress (Taxodium mucronatum Ten.) is propagated from seed, but procedures have not been reported for the propagation of this ornamental tree by stem cuttings. This study evaluated the use of softwood cuttings to propagate Mexican bald cypress. Softwood cuttings were collected on 16 October 1998 and 1999 from Las Cruces and Los Lunas, New Mexico, treated with either 3000 or 8000 ppm of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and held under intermittent mist in a greenhouse for 13 weeks. In 1998, cuttings sampled from one of two Los Lunas trees showed 48% and 82% rooting when treated with IBA at 3000 or 8000 ppm, respectively. Root number and average root length were 9 and 3 times greater, respectively, with 8000 ppm IBA than with 3000 ppm IBA. More 1998 cuttings rooted (65%) than 1999 cuttings (10%) when means were combined over IBA treatments. Results indicate that efficient propagation of Mexican bald cypress by cuttings depends on exogenous IBA and selection of stock plants amenable to root formation.