Effect of planting time and IBA concentration on sprouting and vegetative growth parameters of fig (Ficus carica L.) cuttings

Introduction

Fig (Ficus carica L., Moraceae

) is one of the oldest domesticated fruit crops, valued for its nutritive, medicinal and nutraceutical properties (Gani et al., 2018) [4] . In India it is grown mainly in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on about 5,600 ha, with Maharashtra's Purandar belt the leading production centre (Anonymous, 2024) [1] . Being hardy, drought-and salt-tolerant, fig is well suited to dryland horticulture, yet its area expansion in India remains constrained mainly by the limited availability of genuine, true-totype planting material. Fig is commercially propagated through stem cuttings rather than seed, since seedlings are highly heterozygous and not true to type. Hardwood cuttings are preferred for their simplicity and low cost, but they are known to root poorly and inconsistently under normal nursery conditions, which is the principal bottleneck in commercial multiplication. Rooting of cuttings is governed jointly by endogenous factors (auxin level, carbohydrate status, physiological age of wood) and exogenous factors, of which season of cutting collection and exogenous auxin application are the most manageable. In fig, cuttings collected early in the growing season have rooted markedly better than later ones, and IBA treatment has consistently improved rooting percentage and root quality over the untreated control (Chalfun et al., 2003) [2] . Among auxins, IBA is preferred for its stability and low phytotoxicity, and concentrations in the range of 2,000-3,000 ppm have given the best rooting, survival and root growth in fig across several trials (Polat and Kamilo, 2007) [8] .

Materials and Methods

The experiment was conducted during 2025-26 under 50% shade net at the Instructional-cum-Horticulture Farm, Department of Horticulture, MPKV, Rahuri (19.34°N, 74.65°E; 537.37 m amsl), a semi-arid, rain-shadow location. It was laid out in a Factorial Completely Randomized Design with two factors time of cutting collection (five fortnightly dates, April-June) and IBA concentration (0, 1500, 2000, 2500 ppm) giving 20 treatment combinations, two replications and 100 hardwood cuttings per treatment each cutting is of 15-20 cm length and 4-5 nodes,. Cuttings, collected from six-year-old mother plants, were basally quick-dipped in the respective IBA solution (prepared in 70% ethyl alcohol) for 15 seconds and planted in polybags containing soil, vermicompost and neem cake (2:1:1). Growth parameters viz. Days to sprouting , shoot length, shoot diameter and number of leaves were recorded at 30, 60 and 90 days were as leaf area and fresh weight of shoot were recorded at 90 days. Data analysed as per the statistical method prescribed by Panse and Sukhatme (1985) and treatments were compared using the critical difference at 5% level of significance.

Results and Discussion

Days to sprouting, as influenced by different planting time (T) and IBA concentration (C) is presented separately (Table 1). Growth of fig cuttings was further recorded periodically at 30, 60 and 90 days after planting (DAP) for shoot length, shoot diameter and number of leaves per cutting and at 90 DAP alone for fresh shoot weight and leaf area (Tables 234).

Days to Sprouting

Days to sprouting was significantly influenced by different planting time, IBA concentration and their interaction (Table 1). Cuttings collected in T₁ (1 st fortnight of April) sprouted earliest (11.00 days), statistically at par with T₂ (2 nd fortnight of April, 11.35 days) and significantly superior to later collection dates, while T₅ (1 st fortnight of June) recorded the maximum days to sprouting (13.58 days). The earlier sprouting under T₁ may be attributed to favourable microclimatic conditions optimal temperature and humidity coupled with higher stored carbohydrate reserves in the mother plant prior to the onset of active summer growth, which together stimulate enzymatic hydrolysis of reserves and hasten the breaking of bud endodormancy (Chalfun et al., 2003) [2] . Among IBA concentrations, C₃ (2000 ppm) significantly reduced the sprouting period (9.56 days), statistically at par with C₄ (2500 ppm, 9.72 days), whereas the untreated control (C₁) took the longest to sprout (17.38 days). This acceleration under IBA treatment is consistent with its known role in promoting cell division and cell elongation, hastening basal callusing, and enhancing mobilisation of carbohydrate and nitrogenous reserves toward the growing buds, thereby triggering earlier activation of dormant vegetative buds (Sheikh et al., 2022 [11,6,3,10] . The interaction T × C was also significant. The combination T₁C₃ recorded the minimum days to sprouting (8.70 days), closely followed by T₁C₄ (9.00 days), T₄C₃ (9.50 days), T₂C₃ (9.60 days) and T₂C₄ (9.60 days), while the untreated cuttings of T₅ (T₅C₁) took the longest to sprout (23.00 days). The synergy between favourable early-season microclimatic conditions and the physiological stimulus of optimum IBA concentration likely created ideal conditions for rapid metabolic mobilisation, reducing stress on unrooted cuttings and hastening bud break.

Growth at 60 DAP

The effects of planting time, IBA concentration and their interaction on shoot length, shoot diameter and leaf number remained statistically non-significant at 60 DAP, although values continued to trend numerically higher under T₂ (2 nd fortnight of April) and C₃ (IBA @ 2000 ppm) than under other treatments (Table 3), reflecting the early phase of root initiation and continued reliance on stored reserves before active physiological establishment. Growth at 90 DAP By 90 DAP shoot length, shoot diameter, number of leaves, fresh shoot weight and leaf area were all significantly influenced by planting time, IBA concentration and their interaction (Table 4). Cuttings collected in T₂ (2 nd fortnight of April) produced the greatest shoot length, diameter, number of leaves, shoot fresh weight and leaf area, whereas T₄ (2 nd fortnight of May) was consistently poorest an effect attributable to favourable temperature and humidity together with higher carbohydrate reserves in April-collected wood ahead of summer heat stress (Chalfun et al., 2003) [2] . Among IBA concentrations, C₃ (2000 ppm) was significantly superior to the control and to other levels for every growth character, consistent with the role of auxin in stimulating cell division, cambial activity and mobilisation of carbohydrate and nitrogenous reserves toward the growing regions of the cutting (Kumar et al., 2024; Nale et al., 2024) [5,7] ; concentrations beyond 2000 ppm gave marginally lower values for most characters. The interaction T₂C₃ recorded the overall best performance for every growth parameter, reflecting the synergy of favourable collection time and optimum auxin level in accelerating bud break and vegetative biomass accumulation before the onset of summer stress.

References

1. Anonymous. Area and production of fig fruit crops. National Horticulture Mission, Government of India; 2024.
2. Chalfun NNJ, Pasqual M, Norberto PM, Dutra LF, Cavalcante-Alves JM. Rooting of fig (Ficus carica L.) cuttings: cutting time and IBA. Acta Horticulturae. 2003;605:137-140.
3. Damar D. Effect of growth regulators and biofertilizers on survival of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) stem cuttings [doctoral dissertation]. Gwalior (MP): RVSKVV; 2014.
4. Gani G, Fatima T, Qadri T, Gulzar B, Jan N, Bashir O. Phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of fig (Ficus carica L.). International Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2018;3(2):8082.
5. Kumar A, Thakur N, Ingole A, Shah I, Srivastava AK. Efficacy of different concentrations of IBA and NAA on growth of hardwood cuttings of fig (Ficus carica L.) cv. Dinkar. Environment and Ecology. 2024;42(2B):867-870.
6. Maurya P, Mukhim C, Prasad K, Majaw T, Kumar U, Agnihotri R, et al. Influence of season, indole-3-butyric acid and media on rooting and success of single leafbud cutting of lemon (Citrus limon Burm.) in Bihar. Scientist. 2022;1(3):459-469.
7. Nale R, Sharma G, Pal R, Patel RK, Sharma S. Effect of IBA and NAA on the rooting and vegetative growth of hardwood cuttings in common fig (Ficus carica L.). International Journal of Bio-resource and Stress Management. 2024;15(5):1-6.
8. Polat AA, Kamilo I. Experiment on propagation with cutting of Quince-A and BA-29 rootstocks and on budding with loquat cultivar. Turkey National Horticulture Congress. 2007;1:169-173.
9. Panse VG, Sukhatme PV. Statistical Methods for Agricultural Workers. New Delhi: ICAR Publication and Information Division; 1985.
10. Rathore J, Sharma GL, Chaudhury T. Effect of different concentrations of IBA on rooting of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cutting. International Journal of Chemical Studies. 2020;8(3):101-105.
11. Sheikh MA, Sundouri AS, Mir MA, Bhat SA, Beigh MA, Nazir N, et al. Effect of IBA and NAA concentrations and types of media on rooting and survival of cuttings in fig (Ficus carica L.). The Pharma Innovation Journal. 2022;11(12):2779-2784.