Effect of Indole Butyric Acid and Zinc Sulphate in Different Media on Rooting of Olive Cuttings

Olive (Olea europaea L.) is an oil fruit crop with the physiological potential to survive and produce in rain-fed areas. In Pakistan, it is grown in upper Punjab and Baluchistan due to their climate suitability for better production. Due to the increasing trend of olive oil, peoples show more interest in planting disease-free plants for better oil production. The successful nursery of olives mainly depends on growth substrates with rooting hormones like Indole butyric acid. A recent study was conducted to observe the influence of growing substrate and combination of IBA with zinc sulphate during the vegetative stage of two cultivars of olive. Semi-hardwood olive cuttings were treated with indole butyric acid (IBA) at a level of 3000 ppm with zinc sulphate at 2000 ppm and 3000 ppm and cultured on various types of soil in pots under plastic tunnel conditions under completely randomized design with three factors and each treatment replicated thrice. Both varieties with all treatments significantly affect all traits. The maximum number of shoots were recorded in the media that contain sugarcane press mud with 3000ppm IBA and 3000ppm zinc sulphate that showed the maximum number of shoots (5. 66), branches (6. 66), shoot length (17. 01), number of roots (5. 33), root diameter (0. 23), plant survival percentage (73. 66) and root length (16. 86). In contrast, the minimum number of shoots (1. 0), branches (1. 00), shoot length (3. 77), number of roots (1. 00) root diameter (0. 01), plant survival percentage (44. 33), root length (4. 92) were observed in control media in cultivar Ottobrattica with the treatment of IBA at 3000 ppm+ zinc sulphate 2000 ppm. Results from all treatments revealed a favorable correlation between medium and IBA when combined with zinc sulphate for all measured growth parameters. The 50% sugarcane press mud, 50% silt soil with IBA 3000 ppm+ zinc sulphate 2000 ppm proved to be the best approach for better germination of olive cuttings in pots. The resulting outcomes play a significant role in the better germination percentage under dry climatic conditions. Analysis of variance was used to examine the data obtained (Statistix 8.1). The least significant test (LSD) was used to compare significant means at a 5% probability level.