Enhancing Rooting in Morus alba Cuttings: Effects of Indolebutyric Acid and a Commercial Rooting Agent across Branch Positions

Sericulture is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk using white mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.); thus, the sector's quality production of mulberry seedlings on a large scale is economically important. The production of seedlings through cuttings is the most effective and fastest reproduction method. Still, it can also be enhanced using synthetic rooting agents, increasing the productive potential of white mulberry crops. The current work aims to evaluate the response of cuttings taken from different parts of the branch of M. alba var. Miura (Apical 1, Apical 2, Medial, Basal 1, and Basal 2) and treated with indolebutyric acid (IBA; 500, 1,000, and 1,500 mg L-1) and commercial rooting agent Forth® (10 % v/v), in addition to a control treatment. After treating the branches, they were placed in polyethylene containers filled with substrate and kept in a greenhouse for 70 days. The application of hormones on cuttings of M. alba favored several morpho-agronomic parameters evaluated for the propagules obtained from different positions on the branch. In conclusion, applying 500 or 1,000 mg L-1 of IBA is recommended for the various positions, with Basal 1 and Basal 2 showing higher values ​​in the evaluated parameters than the other positions. The results can help silk breeders optimize white mulberry crop production.