Vegetative growth retardation, improved rooting and viability of olive cuttings in response to application of growth retardants

Spray and soil treatments of paclobutrazol and uniconazole were applied to young and mature olive plants and olive cuttings. Two clear phases, were found in the growth response of olive shoots to growth retardants: an early phase, which retards and even inhibits growth considerably; and a later phase, during which the shoots are released from the retardation and start to elongate rapidly. A somewhat slower response of the plants to soil application than to spray application of growth retardants was noticed. Paclobutrazol enhanced the rooting of cv. Manzanillo cuttings, whether applied to the mother plants or to the cuttings themselves. Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) was needed in both cases. Sprouting was shown to reduce rooting. Paclobutrazol significantly inhibited sprouting and increased the meristematic activity in the base of the cuttings. Rooting of the hard-to-root cv. Kalamata was not enhanced by the treatments although callus formation was induced and viability was prolonged.