Softwood grafting in sapota

SAPOTA (Manilkara achras) is a tree native of Tropical America. Inarching in Sapota is the commercial method of propagation practice over forty years. This method is tedious, cumbersome and time consuming.

One of the advancements in propagation of sapota has been the commercial exploitation of softwood grafting.

About one year old rootstock of pala (Manilkara hexandra) growing outdoors are selected and all side branches are removed.

The stock is then cut down to a height of 20 c.m. above soil level. Scions should be 8 to 10 c.m. long and of pencil thickness with buldging tips. The colour of the scion should be turning from green to brown.

For precuring, leaf blades are clipped off seven to ten days before grafting. When the petioles dry and drop off, the scions can be detached from the tree and used for grafting.

Congitudinal cut of 3-4 c.m. is made and the scion wedge is inserted to the software portion of rootstock and tied with a polythene strip of 200 gauge thickness.

The grafts are kept in shade or mist chamber for 15 days and later transfer the successful grafts to open place.

Treating the scion with IAA at 750 ppm. increase the percentage of success. Higher percentage of (more than 95) success can be obtained from this method.

A. Nagoor Meeran

& R. Rajeswari

Krishi Vigyan Kendra

Manayeripatti - BPO

Sengipatti

Thanjavur-613402, T.N.

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