Croton zehntneri Pax et Hoffm. (canela de cunhã) is native to northeastern Brazil, has antioxidant, antinociceptive and antidepressant properties. The study of vegetative propagation is important because of the low seeds production and the existence of different chemotypes in the species. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of indole butyric acid (IBA) in plant propagation by cuttings of C. zehntneri. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six treatments and four replications of 10 cuttings. The treatments were zero concentrations, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 and 5,000mg L-1 IBA. It was analyzed the following characteristics: rooting percentage, root number per cutting, root length, shoot number, number of leaves, leaf dry mass and roots dry mass. The rooting percentage was higher for higher concentrations of IBA 3,000, 4,000 and 5,000mg L-1 (80, 90 and 100%). The percentage of rooting, root number, root length and number of leaves showed linear behavior in relation to concentrations of IBA, the higher the concentration the greater the value of the variable. The number of shoots decreased at higher concentration. The dry mass of roots was higher in pre-treatment with 4,000 and 5,000mg L-1 IBA (0.35g). Pre-treatment of cuttings of C. zehntneri with a solution of IBA at a concentration of 4,000mg L-1 for 10 seconds is recommended for vegetative propagation of the species.
vegetative propagation; rooting; auxin; canelinha; caatinga
