Although blueberries in the South of Brazil have been researched and produced as a new alternative in the horticulture, the majority of plants are propagated vegetatively through the use of cuttings and the results obtained are unsatisfactory. In this way, this research was aimed at testing the rooting ability of rabbiteye Blueberry by microcuttings techniques. Microcuttings from acclimated plants of Vaccinium ashey Reade cv. Climax obtained through micropropagation were tested. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using two types of microcuttings (middle and apex shoots), two substrate (sand and Plantmax®) and three concentrations of indole-3butyric-acid (0, 1000, and 2000mg L-1). After 60th day, it was evaluated: surviving microcuttings percentage, percentage of rooted microcuttings, roots number, roots length, and length more developed root. We concluded that the microcuttings can be an efficient technique for blueberry plantlets production, by using micropropagated plants as explants donors. The use of microcuttings from middle section provided high percentage of survived and rooted microcuttings, independent of IBA concentration. On the other hand, for cuttings from the apex section, the AIB application was required for rooting improvement.
Vaccinium ashei; rabbiteye; juvenility; vegetative propagation; rooting; IBA
