COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF VARIETIES AND ROOTSTOCK AGE ON SUCCESS AND SURVIVAL RATE OF EPICOTYL GRAFTING IN MANGO (MANGIFERA INDICA L.).

Epicotyl grafting is considered as the most efficient grafting technique in mango (Mangifera indica L.) and it is also well documented for timely seedling production of desired varieties. Therefore, the present study was perceived to assess the success and survival rate of epicotyl grafting. The study was conducted using a container-based setup and involved two factors: three varieties (Langra, Sindhri, and Chaunsa) and four different rootstock ages (20, 30, 40, and 50 days). The experiment was carried out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 36 treatment combinations distributed equally in three replications. The findings revealed that all the studied traits were significantly affected by varieties and rootstock ages. It was further noted that Chaunsa variety showed best results for most of the studied traits except days to bud break and first flush while 50 days old rootstock demonstrated satisfying results for most of the parameters followed by 40 days old rootstock while the lowest results for all the traits were found in 20 days old rootstock except days to bud break and first flush. It is concluded that well established rootstock of 50 days and Chaunsa variety were found best for epicotyl grafting in mango. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]