A study on leaf cutting propagation technology for Potentilla fragarioidis

Potentilla fragarioidis is a rural cover plant with excellent developmental potential in northern China. However, materials for its sexual propagation are not readily available, and the reproductive coefficient is low. As a means of asexual reproduction, propagation via cuttings may provide a new means of rapidly producing P. fragarioidis. In this study, robust and disease-free leaves of P. fragarioidis were used, and the effects of different cutting substrates, hormone types, and their concentration on the rooting of P. fragarioidis leaf cuttings were investigated in an orthogonal experiment. The results showed that the root system of cuttings form after 45 days. Significant differences in the rooting effect of cuttings were observed due to the interaction effects between the cutting substrate, hormone type, and their concentrations at different treatment levels (P < 0.05). Cutting substrate was the dominant factor affecting rooting rate, and hormone type was the main factor affecting the average number of roots per plant, mean total length of roots per plant, most extended root length, and root effect index. The best rooting effect was obtained using 300 mg·L⁻¹ IBA as the cutting treatment hormone and peat + perlite + vermiculite (1 ꞉ 1 ꞉ 1) as the cutting substrate. The rooting rate of cuttings under this treatment reached 63.33%; the average number of roots per plant was 6.90; the average root length was 27.98 cm; the most extended root length was 13.83 cm; and the root effect index was 20.50. These experimental results provide a theoretical basis for the rapid establishment of a propagation system for P. fragarioidis.