PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Li, Qiansheng
AU  - Gu, Mengmeng
TI  - Vegetative propagation of Elliott’s blueberry (<em>Vaccinium elliottii</em>) by hardwood cuttings
AID  - 10.3368/npj.21.2.132
DP  - 2020 Jun 20
TA  - Native Plants Journal
PG  - 132--137
VI  - 21
IP  - 2
4099  - http://npj.uwpress.org/content/21/2/132.short
4100  - http://npj.uwpress.org/content/21/2/132.full
SO  - NATIVE PLANTS JOURNAL2020 Jun 20; 21
AB  - Elliott’s blueberry (Vaccinium elliottii Chapm. [Ericaceae]) is native to the southeastern and south-central US. It can be used as a landscape shrub and is important blueberry breeding germplasm. Vegetative propagation by cuttings is a time- and cost-efficient method to ensure genetic stability. Cutting success is variable for blueberry species and cultivars; however, cutting propagation is particularly difficult for wild species. We evaluated rooting success of Elliott’s blueberry hardwood cuttings. Cuttings differed in length (10, 15, and 20 cm [4, 6, and 8 in]) and in indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) dipping treatment concentration (0, 2.5, 5 g/l). Rooting percentage ranged from 50 to 77.8% with an average of 62.4% in our study. Neither cutting length nor IBA treatment affected rooting percentage or shoot formation. Rooted cuttings grew vigorously to a 40 cm height in 3 mo after transplanting. Our results indicate that hardwood cuttings in late January are a feasible way to vegetatively propagate Elliott’s blueberry.