Unravelling the Rooting Response of the Underutilized Wild Herb, Dasispermum suffruticosum (P.J. Bergius) B.L. Burtt, in Response to Growth Media and IBA Treatment

Dasispermum suffruticosum, is an underutilized wild herb found on the sandy coastal dunes along the East to West Coast of South Africa. It is commonly known as sea parsley in English or “duineseldery” in Afrikaans. The lack of literature in its production and use has resulted in its underutilization. This research generated a pre-liminary investigation on the effects of different formulations of rooting media and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatment on the vegetative propagation of D. suffruticosum as influenced to establish a viable asexual propagation protocol for imminent cultivators of the species. Nodal stem cuttings of D. suffruticosum were obtained from a selected plant population growing along the coast at the Walkerbay Nature Reserve, Stanford, South Africa. Stem cuttings of about ±15 cm long with a stem thickness of approximately 8 mm were treated with different concentrations of a commercial growth regulator Makhroroot™ (containing 0.1% IBA for 1 softwood, 0.3% for 2 semi-hardwood and 0.8% for 3 hardwood) and planted into four different rooting media: sand (S), sand: peat (SP) (1:1), perlite: peat (PP) (1:1) and peat: perlite: vermiculite (PPV) (1:1:1). The results showed non-significant differences in rooting percentage, callus production, and other growing parameters across the different rooting media, IBA treatments, and their interaction. Cuttings placed in sand with IBA treatments M1 and M2 exhibited the best results in the variables assessed. Although this study showed that sea parsley does not require alternative growing media and requires low concentration of growth regulators for rapid root initiation and multiplication, it is imperative to note this cultivation technique for its potential to significantly contribute to food security and promote healthy diets for both rural and urban households, given its nutritional and pharmaceutical benefits. The opportunity of using sand could be a cost-saving option for potential growers of the species, who may want to exploit this plant for diet diversity and as a source of nutritional substitute for parsley and celery. Furthermore, the outcome of this study may provide a necessary protocol to produce the species, should the conservation status of the plant change for the species to be strategically adopted by South African growers for production. Key words: coastal food, conservation agriculture, food security, nutrition, propagation, sea parsley