Abstract
The white mulberry Morus alba L. is an interesting tree that widely planted throughout the world for various uses. The effort was made in this study to propagate the fruitless cultivar of Morus alba L. by hardwood cuttings; comparing different cuttings collection time with using various concentrations of IBA (Indole-3-Butyric Acid) solution. Results showed that taking and planting cuttings on March 1st, gave the best survival percentage of rooted seedlings, which was (20.83%) compared to February 8th (16.33%) and March 22nd (12.5%).Cuttings treated with different concentrations of IBA significantly increased success percentage; 58.33, 66.67, 50.00 and 20.83% for 2000, 1500, 1000 and 0ppm respectively. Furthermore, the combination effect of previous factors had positive effects on studied characters; the heighest values of success rate of rooting (66.67%) from cuttings taken on March 1st and immersed in 1500ppm of IBA solution (T7), while success rate of rooting (58.33%) and all other qualitative parameters of shoots height (70cm), vegetation fresh weight (74.9g), vegetation dry weight (24.06g), root length (41.17cm) roots fresh weight (5.26g), roots dry weights (1.5g), number of leaves per plant (32.33), and leaf area (84.32cm2) were obtained from cuttings taken on the same time but treated with 2000ppm. The results recommend taking cuttings on March 1st, and using 2000ppm of IBA directly before planting to enhance cuttings survival percentage and seedlings quality.
