The japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb & Zucc.) is a Rosaceae of falling leaves, native of China, whose fruits and flowers are quite appreciated by the oriental people. In Brazil, some studies were accomplished seeking its use as rootstock for peach and nectarine trees, due its adaptation characteristics, rusticity, reduction of the plant load and compatibility with some cultivars of Prunus persica. The present study were carried out under intermitent mist inside a lathhouse, belonging to the Vegetal Department of the Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV/UNESP), Campus of Jaboticabal, São Paulo State. The objective of this study was to verify the influence of four lengths of herbaceous cuttings in the rooting of two japanese apricot clones. The vegetable material, identified as Clone 10 and Clone 15, was originating from the Genetic Improvement Program of the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, SP. The experiment was constituted by a 2 x 4 fatorial in randomized blocks, having the factor clone 2 levels (Clone 10 and Clone 15) and the factor cuttings length 4 levels (12, 15, 18 and 25cm). For the observed results, differences was only verified among the clones in the sprouted cutting percentage and number of roots for cutting. The rooting percentage and the mortality of the cuttings were influenced by the cutting lenght, meanwhile, larger cuttings tended to present higher rooting and smaller mortality percentages. The cuttings with 12cm, although presenting few roots number for cutting, they are recommended for allow the obtention of a higher number of cuttings for main plant. There was significant effect of the interaction between the factors for number and length of roots.
propagation; Prunus spp.; rootstock
