Trench Layering as a Method of Clonally Propagating Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

The pawpaw ( Asimina triloba ) is the largest fruit native to the U.S. and has potential as a new fruit crop. Few methods are available to clonally propagate pawpaw, with grafting or budding onto a seedling rootstock being the only currently feasible method. Developing new options for clonal propagation of pawpaw could help advance this growing industry. Layering has been used to clonally propagate other difficult to root tree species. The objective of this study was to examine trench layering as a method to clonally propagate pawpaw. A randomized factorial experiment was implemented to examine the roles of plant juvenility and auxin concentration on rooting in a greenhouse trench layering system. Seedlings were defoliated, tipped, and transplanted into trench layering beds at 3, 6, and 12 weeks after emergence. Shoots were etiolated, then girdled and treated with three levels of IBA (0, 5000, and 10,000 ppm). The main effects of age and IBA concentration significantly affected the percentage of shoots producing roots. Juvenility enhanced rooting, with 15% of the shoots of the 3-week-old pawpaw seedlings producing roots, compared to only about 5% of the 12-week-old seedlings rooting. Auxin application to shoots also promoted rooting, with 16% of IBA-treated shoots producing roots, compared to the untreated control, with only 2% of shoots producing roots. There was no significant difference in rooting percentage between the two concentrations of IBA. The treatment combination most successful at promoting root initiation was 10,000 ppm IBA applied to shoots of 3-week-old seedlings, with 31% of shoots rooting.