Rooting of proliferated dwarf shoot cuttings of jack pine (Pinus banksiana)

Proliferated dwarf shoots were induced via pruning of several age-classes of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), and rooting capacities of proliferated dwarf shoot cuttings were determined. Plants pruned at 2, 4, 6, and 8 years of age yielded proliferated dwarf shoot cuttings that rooted as high as 87, 86, 60, and 49%, respectively, when sampled 2 years later. These frequencies were markedly higher than those observed for long-shoot cuttings sampled from plants of similar ages. The results of this study are of practical significance, since jack pine has been regarded as a difficult-to-root species, and suggest that operational asexual propagation may be feasible for plants up to 8 years of age.