Influence of soil aggregation on the rooting of carnation cuttings

Summary Cuttings of a carnation variety of the Chabaud type were rooted in a fine textured soil which had been broken down to yield 3 different soil structures,C, M andF (coarse, medium-sized and fine aggregates).Root initials were found in the basal callus of cuttings growing in all soil treatments already two weeks after planting.Throughout the rooting process, the best results were obtained with coarse aggregated soil and the worst with the medium aggregated one. The fine aggregated soil showed intermediate results, probably due to fissures formed at the point of insertion of cuttings, which improved aeration.The amount of roots at the end of the experiment was greatest with cuttings from theC treatment, while those ofM andF treatments did not differ significantly in this respect.