VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION EXPERIMENTS IN WHITE PINE 515 



The rooting beds were covered with aluminum painted polyethylene 

 sheets. Light intensity under the plastic was only 5 to 10% of that in 

 the open and the temperature generally ranged from 60° to 90°F, but reached 

 as high as 105°F. 



The final tally was taken 5 months after planting. Chi-square tests 

 were calculated for the percentage of rooted propagules. The influences 

 of collection date, ortet age, propagule type, planting containers, and 

 media were studied. In addition our efforts included a preliminary 

 investigation of genetic influences. 



INFLUENCE OF COLLECTION DATES 



Rooting tests were established in December, January and March using 

 cuttings and needle fascicles without buds. The propagules were taken 

 from trees in a 5-year-old population of P. strobus and in 5- and 15- 

 year-old populations of Pinus griffithii McClelland (syn. P. wallichiana 

 A.B. Jacks.) x strobus. In each test 20 propagules per population were 

 planted in 3 replications. 



INFLUENCE OF ORTET AGE 



Three comparisons were made to study the effect of ortet age. In 

 the first, results obtained from all the P. griffithii x strobus 

 propagules in the above experiment were examined on the basis of ortet 

 age rather than collection and planting date. The second analysis used 

 cuttings taken in May 1968 from ortets belonging to 2-, 5- and 15-year- 

 old populations of P. griffithii x strobus. The third test utilized 

 5- and 10-year-old and regrafted mature P. strobus ortets. These cuttings 

 were also taken in May 1968. 



INFLUENCE OF TYPE OF PROPAGULE 



Cuttings and needle fascicles used to study the influence of 

 collection date and ortet age on rooting were also used in this portion 

 of the investigation. 



INFLUENCE OF TUBES AND ROOTING BEDS 



This experiment compared cuttings taken from P. strobus and P. 

 griffithii x strobus ortets 5, 10, and 15 years old. The regrafted 

 mature P. strobus ortets were also included. The cuttings in tubes were 

 identical to those described in the collection date experiment; the 

 cuttings in rooting beds to those described in the second and third 

 analyses of the ortet age experiment. 



INFLUENCE OF MEDIA 



In May 1968 cuttings from a 5 -year-old population of P. strobus 

 were planted in rooting beds in the following soil media: (1) nursery 

 soil characterized as a dark brown calcareous clay loam; (2) a soil 

 complex made up of a top layer of coarse acid sand (4 in.) and a bottom 

 layer of white pine humus (1 in.); and (3) a 1:1 mixture of coarse acid 



