Effect of thickness of vine cuttings and plant growth regulators on propagation of ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis L.)

Introduction

Ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis L.) is a relatively underutilized vegetable crop belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae, widely known by names such as tindora, kundru and scarlet gourd (Patel et al., 2021) [1] . It is a hardy, perennial, dioecious climber, predominantly cross-pollinated, and is cultivated across the southern, eastern and central regions of India, including several districts of Chhattisgarh. The immature fruits, tender shoots and leaves are used as a vegetable and the crop is valued for its therapeutic properties in the management of diabetes and other ailments, being rich in phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and other bioactive compounds (Saini, 2021) [2] . Propagation of ivy gourd is achieved mainly through stem cuttings rather than seed, since seed propagation is associated with poor viability and a high proportion of non-fruiting male plants (Subbaiah et al., 2018) [3] . Expansion of the area under this crop is currently constrained by the limited availability of quality planting material, and successful establishment of cuttings depends on factors such as cutting thickness, physiological maturity and the use of plant growth regulators (PGRs). Auxins, particularly indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), promote cell division and adventitious root initiation at the base of cuttings and are widely used to enhance rooting, survival and establishment in vegetatively propagated horticultural crops (Farman et al., 2019; Bhardwaj et al., 2017) [5,4] . Although the beneficial effect of IBA and NAA on rooting of ivy gourd cuttings has been documented (Bhardwaj et al., 2017; Jagdale et al., 2023) [4,6] , information on the combined effect of cutting thickness and auxin concentration, along with the resultant economics of propagation, remains limited. Keeping this in view, the present investigation was undertaken with the following objectives: (i) to study the effect of PGRs and their combinations on the propagation of ivy gourd;

(ii) to study the effect of vine cutting thickness on root and shoot growth; and (iii) to work out the benefit:cost ratio.

Materials and methods

The field experiment was conducted during the

Statistical analysis

The experimental data were analyzed using the Factorial Completely Randomized Design (FCRD) as described by Panse et al. (1985) [7] . The treatment effects were tested using the F-test at 5% probability level. Standard Error of Mean (SEm ±

) and Critical Difference (CD at 5%) were calculated when the treatment effect was significant. The cost of cultivation, gross return, net return and benefit:cost (B:C) ratio were calculated on a per-hectare nursery basis using a selling price of ₹30 per rooted cutting.

Results and discussion

Days to sprouting

Cutting thickness significantly influenced the number of days taken for sprouting; the thinnest cuttings (C 1 , 0.60 cm) sprouted earliest (8.67 days), while the thicker cuttings, C 2 (1.00 cm) and C 4 (1.80 cm), required the longest period (12.08 days each). PGR treatments did not significantly affect days to sprouting, although P 2 recorded the numerically earliest average sprouting (10.08 days). The earlier sprouting of thinner cuttings may be attributed to their younger, more physiologically active tissue, in agreement with Padekar et al. (2018) [8] , who reported earliest sprouting in tip cuttings of kartoli, and with Hartmann et al. (1990) [9] , who also noted that older, more lignified wood is generally slower to sprout and root in many vegetatively propagated species. Among the treatment combination the earliest sprouting (7.67 days) was recorded in C 1 P 2 (0.60 cm cutting + IBA 2000 ppm + NAA 400 ppm), whereas the latest sprouting (13.33 days) occurred in C 4 P 4 (1.80 cm cutting + water spray). Earlier sprouting under PGR treatment may be attributed to enhanced mobilization of stored carbohydrates, nitrogen and other growth substances, facilitating early bud activation. Similar findings were reported by Padekar et al. (2018) [8] in kartoli (Momordica dioica).

Sprouting percentage

Sprouting percentage was significantly influenced by both factors and their interaction (Table 2). Cutting thickness C 4 (1.80 cm vine cutting thickness) recorded the highest sprouting (77.58%) and P 3 (IBA 3000 ppm + NAA 600 ppm) the highest among PGR treatments (76.42%), while the interaction C 4 P 3 (86.00%) and C 4 P 2 (1.80 cm cutting + IBA 2000 ppm + NAA 400 ppm) (85.00%) were the best combinations, against the lowest in C 1 P 4 (0.60 cm cutting thickness with water spray) (57.00%). The higher sprouting of thicker, auxintreated cuttings may be ascribed to their greater reserves of carbohydrates and nutrients together with the stimulatory effect of auxin on cell division and bud break, corroborating the findings of Bhardwaj et al. (2017) [4] and Jayaganesh et al. (2025) [10] in ivy gourd and of Ayesha et al. (2018) [11] in dragon fruit.

Survival percentage

The data presented in [13,14,12] .

Success percentage

Success percentage reflecting the proportion of cuttings that sprouted, rooted and survived as healthy established plants, was highest in C 4 P 2 (79.67%), closely followed by C 4 P 3 (79.00%), and lowest in C 1 P 4 (49.00%) (Table 2). This cumulative pattern, mirroring the trend recorded for sprouting, rooting and survival, is consistent with observations in little gourd by Modi et al. (2019) [15] and in kartoli by Padekar et al. (2018) [8] , and confirms the report of Bhardwaj et al. (2017) [4] that optimum IBA concentration enhances the overall establishment of ivy gourd cuttings by improving rooting efficiency and reducing desiccation at the cutting base.

Shoot and root growth parameters

Number of roots, root length, root volume, shoot dry weight and root dry weight increased significantly with cutting thickness, while number of roots, root length, root volume and shoot dry weight were also significantly higher under auxin treatment than in the water-sprayed control (P 4 ). Root diameter and root:shoot ratio were not significantly influenced by either factor ( The superior root and shoot growth of thicker cuttings may be attributed to their greater carbohydrate and nutrient reserves and more developed vascular tissue, which support adventitious root initiation and shoot development, in agreement with Ahmadi et al. (2021) [16] in pomegranate. The enhancing effect of IBA and NAA on root number, length and biomass corroborates the reports of Ghosh et al. (2017) [13] and Ratnamala et al. (2014) [14] in phalsa, Muttaleb et al., (2017) [17] in Piper betle and Devi et al. (2016) [12] in phalsa, who attributed the response to auxin-mediated cell division and mobilization of stored carbohydrates and nitrogen towards developing root and shoot primordia. Similar synergistic improvement in root volume with combined IBA + NAA application was reported by Pradhan et al. (2024) [18] in dragon fruit, and the higher root:shoot ratio recorded under lower auxin concentration (P 1 ) parallels the trend noted by Patil et al.

(2017) [19] in Gmelina arborea, where cutting characteristics influenced the balance of root and shoot biomass. In the interaction effect, vine cutting thickness and PGR application significantly influenced root length and shoot dry weight while its effects on root number, root diameter, root volume, root dry weight, and root:shoot ratio remained statistically non-significant, suggesting that the two factors largely acted independently across most rooting parameters. Numerically, the treatment combination C 4 P 2 consistently produced the most favourable results, recording the highest root number (12.35), root length (24.77 cm, significantly superior to most combinations and at par with C 4 P 3 at 24.40 cm and C 4 P 1 at 23.51 cm), root volume (9.33 ml), and root dry weight (3.57 g), while C 4 P 3 recorded the highest root diameter (2.04 mm); in contrast, C 1 P 4 consistently gave the lowest values across all parameters, including root number (7.64), root length (17.43 cm), root diameter (0.51 mm), root volume (4.94 ml), and root dry weight (1.18 g). This superior performance of thicker cuttings under PGR treatment can be attributed to their greater stored food reserves, which was combined with auxin-mediated adventitious root initiation, enhanced overall root development and biomass accumulation, while the balance between root and shoot growth also appeared to be governed largely by the independent action of cutting thickness and PGR rather than their interaction. These findings align with earlier reports of improved rooting traits through cutting characteristics and auxin application, including enhanced root number in ivy gourd (Jayaganesh et al., 2025) [10] and little gourd (Patoliya et al., 2025) [20] , improved root length in little gourd (Modi et al., 2019) [15] , independent effects of cutting maturity and IBA level on root diameter in Piper betle (Muttaleb et al., 2017) [17] , enhanced root volume through IBA + NAA application in dragon fruit without a marked interaction (Pradhan et al., 2024) [18] , non-significant cutting-diameter × IBA interaction for root dry weight despite higher biomass in thicker cuttings of pomegranate (Ahmadi et al., 2021) [16] , and comparable independent or auxin-driven effects on root:shoot ratio reported in Gmelina arborea (Patil et al., 2017) [19] . Rooting percentage increased significantly with cutting thickness, from 59.00% in C 1 (0.60 cm) to 75.17% in C 4 (1.80 cm) (Table 5), and with PGR concentration, from 57.50% in the control (P 4 ) to 73.00% in P 3 ; (IBA 3000 ppm + NAA 600 ppm. The interactions C 4 P 3 (1.80 cm cutting thickness + IBA 3000 ppm + NAA 600 ppm) (83.00%) and C 4 P 2 (1.80 cm cutting thickness + IBA 2000 ppm + NAA 400 ppm) (82.67%) were statistically superior to all other combinations. Similar improvement in rooting with increasing cutting thickness has been reported in grapevine rootstocks by Doğan et al. (2016) [21] who also found that the interaction of cutting thickness and auxin concentration significantly influenced rooting success.

Economics of propagation

The cost of cultivation varied only narrowly among treatments (₹22,367-22,890/ha), the small difference being due to the cost of PGR used, whereas gross and net returns varied widely, being governed mainly by the sprouting, survival and success percentage achieved (Table 6).

Conclusion

Thickness of vine cuttings and the concentration of plant growth regulators (IBA and NAA) both play a decisive role in determining the success of vegetative propagation of ivy gourd. Thicker vine cuttings (1.80 cm), owing to their greater reserve food materials and more developed vascular tissue, provide a more favourable base for sprouting, vegetative growth and root development than thinner cuttings, while treatment with IBA and NAA particularly at 2000 ppm + 400 ppm and 3000 ppm + 600 ppm, markedly improves sprouting, rooting and survival over untreated cuttings. This improvement translates directly into higher economic returns, the treatment combination of 1.80 cm thick cuttings treated with IBA 2000 ppm + NAA 400 ppm recording the highest net return and benefit:cost ratio. This combination may therefore be recommended as the most suitable and economically remunerative method for commercial propagation of ivy gourd under the agro-climatic conditions of Chhattisgarh.

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22. How to cite this article: Gayen R, Sahu S, Shankar D, Hathle R. Effect of thickness of vine cuttings and plant growth regulators on propagation of ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis L.). International Journal of Research in Agronomy. 2026;9(10):174-179. doi: http s://www.doi.org/10.33545/2618060X.2026.v9.i10c.6781