New technique for the early production of Araucaria angustifolia grafted plants

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the grafting of Araucaria angustifolia in two container volumes and at three heights. Rootstocks with 30±5.0 cm were grafted with 4.0±1.0-cm buds in 110 and 280-cm3 plastic tubes (containers) at three heights (5.0±1.0, 10±1.0, and 15±1.0 cm). There was a reduction in graft survival as the height of the grafting point increased, and the lower volume limited the development of the root system. Therefore, grafting at 5.0±1.0 cm in 280-cm3 containers brings new perspectives to improve the clonal forestry of the species, with a significant reduction in plants production time (of up to 12 months), as well as in production costs, used materials, and physical area.