Influence of Propagation Media on Rooting and Growth Metrics of Sweet Cherry Clonal Rootstock “Gisela‐6”

The present study was carried out during 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 on “Gisela‐6” cherry rootstock with the aim to find out the most suitable propagation media for multiplication through stool layering. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design, comprising five propagation media treatments, viz., sawdust, cocopeat, soil + farm yard manure, vermicompost + cocopeat, and sawdust + sand + vermicompost, replicated five times. Results revealed that stoolings mounded with cocopeat significantly increased number of rooted stoolings (47.81%), number of main roots (92.68%), total root length (65.99%), plant height (77.03%) and diameter (46.10%) of shoot, fresh (88.22% and 24.67%) and dry weight (111.00% and 137.80%) of roots and shoots, respectively, and total plant biomass (145.19%) over control (soil + farm yard manure). The correlation studies between characteristics of mounding media and morphological characteristics of layers revealed that water holding capacity of propagation media had a positive and significant relationship with rooting percentage, number of rooted stools, fresh and dry weight of stool shoots, pH, and bulk density. The percentage of rooting was found to be significantly and positively correlated with proportion of graftable rootstocks, leaf area, number of leaves, height of stool shoot, and diameter of stool shoot. Thus, cocopeat was proved to be the most appropriate mounding media for propagation of “Gisela‐6” sweet cherry rootstock through stool layering.