Rooting of <i>Hyptis suaveolens</i> (L.) Poit (Lamiaceae) in relation to the position of the cuttings in plant branches

Abstract

The present study had as objective to evaluate the root development of cuttings of H. suaveolens, in relation to its position in the plant branches used for propagation. The experiment was conducted in the Section of Medicinal Plants of the Department of Agriculture at the Federal University of Lavras, MG. The stem cuttings were obtained from field cultivated plants, with 60% of luminosity in vegetative state and with 6 months of age. The experimental design was completely randomized with three treatments, consisting of different parts of the branch: apical, basal and middle, and four replications with seven cuttings per replicate. The evaluated characteristics were: rooting percentage, root length (cm), root and shoot dry matter (g), number of shoots and shoot length (cm). The results showed that, independently of the cutting position in the branch, the rooting was above 86%. The species Hyptis suaveolens can be considered a type of easy rooting and the vegetative propagation is possible using different types of cuttings.