Influence of indole-butyric acid, boron, myo-inositol, vitamin D2 and seedling age on adventitious root development in cuttings of Phaseolus aureus

Adventitious roots develop in stem cuttings of Phaseolus aureus Roxb. seedlings when treatment with indole-butyric acid (IBA) is followed by treatment with boron. Root development varies according to the age of seedlings from which cuttings are taken. Increased root number is associated with expansion of the first leaf pair but subsequently declines, whereas root growth increases with increasing seedling age. Removal of leaves furing the first 72 h of treatment impairs root initiation whereas root growth is diminished by removal of leaves at any time during the first 120 h of treatment. IBA stimulates movement of ¹⁴C-IAA out of leaves. Vitamin D₂ and myo-inositol stimulate rooting of intact cuttings provided cuttings are subsequently supplied with boron. Hypocotyls excised from cuttings pretreated with IBA develop roots in response to myo-inositol in the absence of boron. It is proposed that endogenous auxin, arising in the leaves, and myo-inositol have roles in root initiation whilst the role of boron is suggested as one of initiating or maintaining transport from the leaves.