Département des Sciences Agrovétérinaires, Section de Sciences exactes, Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Lubumbashi, BP 1796, Lubumbashi, Haut Katanga, RD Congo
Purpose: An experiment was conducted on a ¾ fine-grained sand and ½ organic ground substrate in a garden located in Kenya township in Luvua sublocation to test the rooting and growth of parts of tender and mature cuttings of the same variety of Passiflora quadrangularis L. in order to prepare viable rootstocks that are likely to yield better fruit.
Methodology: The experiment on the propagation by cutting was conducted in two separate planter boxes. Subsequently, sowing of plants was done in 80cm x 80cm holes which were filled with 1/3 of chicken droppings and 2/3 of organic ground. The following are variables that were tested: the vigor of rooting, the height of leaves by three months, the diameter of the stem by six months, the height of leaves during flowering and days to maturity for fruits.
Findings show a difference in the vigor of rooting: it was found to be higher in the Pq2BMA/18 cuttings than in the Pq1BT/18. The number of fruits did not show any significant difference despite the fact that Pq2BMA/18 cuttings yielded a higher number of fruits compared to those of Pq1BT/18. As regards the height of leaves by six months, the diameter of the stem by six months and the height of leaves during flowering, we postulated a null hypothesis and concluded that these variables did not show any significant difference.