Rooting of carnation cuttings

Abstract

The rooting of stem cuttings is a common vegetative propagation practice in many ornamental species. Among other signals, auxin polarly transported through the stem plays a key role in the formation and growth of adventitious roots. Unlike in other plant species, auxin from mature leaves plays a decisive role in the rooting of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus. L) cuttings. The gene DcAUX1, which codifies an auxin influx carrier involved in polar auxin transport, has now been cloned and characterized in carnation. The expression pattern of this gene was seen to depend on the organ, the cultivar and the time of cold storage. The variations observed in its expression could be related with the rooting ability of different carnation cultivars.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the MEC/MICINN, Spain and FEDER, EU (grants AGL-2004-07902 and AGL-2008-02472) and a fellowship to M.R.O.-V.

Figures and Tables

Figure 1 Variation in the expression of DcAUX1 in different organs of carnation cuttings during cold storage. The expression in a given organ after each storage period (3 days and 1, 3 and 5 weeks) is presented as a percentage on the sum of the values measured in all the organs analyzed after each four storage period. The scheme shows the different organs studied (I₀, basal internode; I₁, first internode; L₁ and L₂, mature leaves; L₅, young leaves). The arrows represent the movement of auxin from leaves and the PAT pathway in the stem. The width of the arrows reflects the amount of auxin transported. Auxin from all the mature leaves is accumulated in the rooting zone of the cutting (I₀). The data presented correspond to the carnation cultivar Solar.

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