Grafting efficiency in Brazilian native tree species

Vegetative propagation by grafting has been widely used to induce early flowering and fruiting in perennials. This study aimed to evaluate the grafting efficiency of seven native tree species in Brazil: Jacaranda mimosifolia, Handroanthus heptaphyllus, Swietenia macrophylla, Schinus terebinthifolius, Cariniana estrellensis, Poincianella pluviosa, and Hymenaea courbaril. The experiment was conducted from January to April 2018. Graft survival, shoot number, length, and circumference were determined at 50 and 90 days after grafting. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s test. Graft survival differed significantly between species. The highest survival rates were observed for J. mimosifolia, H. heptaphyllus, S. terebinthifolius, and S. macrophylla. Shoot length and circumference were higher in C. estrellensis and S. macrophylla, respectively. S. terebinthifolius and C. estrellensis had the highest shoot number, not differing from each other. These results indicate that the processes of scion/rootstock attachment, callus formation, and vascular tissue development were successful. Vegetative propagation of the studied tree species via grafting is effective and has good prospects for genotypes’ rescuing of and for hybridization.