EFFECTS OF CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT ON THE SEASONAL ROOTING OF VEGETATIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE CUTTINGS OF OLIVE

Experiments on the rooting of vegetative and reproductive cuttings of olive showed that the availability and mobilization of carbohydrates towards the base of the cuttings were essential for rooting. Seasonal variation in the rooting of vegetative and reproductive cuttings was associated with concomitant changes in carbohydrate concentrations in the bases of the cuttings. Rooting of cuttings with the reproductive organs attached was prevented by fruit growth or fruit ripening, as carbohydrates were diverted towards the reproductive organs rather than to the IBA-treated bases of the cuttings. However, the failure of rooting in winter for most types of cuttings could not be explained in terms of carbohydrate availability. Similarly, the role of the inflorescence in reducing rooting could not be explained by redirection of assimilates to this reproductive organ.