Effect of Timing Intervals on the Rooting Response and Performance of Olive Cultivars through Air-Layerage.

The effect of timing intervals on the rooting response and performance of olive cultivars through Air-Layerage was determined at Olive Model Farm, Sangbhatti Mardan-Pakistan during the year 2014. The experiment was laid out according to Randomized Complete Block Design with two factors factorial arrangement. Air layerings were practiced on July 1, 16, 31; August 15, 30 and September 14 in plants of olive cultivars Frontoio, Manzanilla, Ottobratica, Pendolino and Picual. Significant variations were recorded among olive cultivars regarding asexual propagation through air-layerage. The daughter saplings of cultivar Manzanilla took less number of days (47.94) to root appearance, produced more rooting percentage (38.89%), number of roots (4.31), root length (4.61 cm) and root weight (1.77g) with more number of re-sprouts (3.18) and shoot length (5.28 cm). The time intervals of air layering also significantly influenced the rooting and growth attributes of olive cultivars. Mid August, proved to be the most favorable time for air-layering in terms of rooting percentage (42.40%), number of root (4.37), root length (4.35 cm), weight (1.68 g), number of re-sprout (3.67) and shoot length (5.61 cm) while late (September 14) and early (July 1) layering responded poorly to all the studied attributes. The response of individual cultivar was dissimilar to different times of layering. Cultivars: Frontoio, Manzanilla and Pendolino took minimum days to root appearance, attained high rooting percentage, produced maximum number of roots, root length and root weight with more number of lengthy re-sprouts, when air-layered during mid August while Ottobratica and Picual, layered during mid and late July respectively, responded well to all these attributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]