Influence of Different Planting Dates on Growth of Blackberry Cutting Under the Agro-Climatic Condition

Abstract

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.) is an economically important small fruit crop valued for its nutritional, and medicinal attributes. Its successful propagation through stem cuttings is highly dependent on environmental conditions especially the time of planting. This study evaluated the effect of planting dates (15th July, 25th July, 4th August, and 14th August) on the growth of blackberry plant cuttings under the agro-climatic environmental condition of Swat, Pakistan. The experimental study were conducted in 2016 by using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The data on sprouting percentage, survival percentage, number of leaves, shoot length, number of roots, and root length were collected, and statistically analyzed. The results revealed that planting dates on some parameters significantly affected such as number of leaves (P = 0.0145), root number (P = 0.0302), and shoot length (P = 0.0477), while sprouting percentage, survival percentage, and root length were non-significant. Meanwhile, cuttings planted on 15th July consistently exhibited the greater performance, by achieving the highest sprouting percentage (73.33%) followed by survival percentage (66.67%), number of leaves (9.33), shoot length (27.17cm), number of roots (13.33), and root length (14.00cm). However, later planting dates relatively weaker growth responses. We conclude from the study that mid-July provides the favorable environmental conditions (for example; temperature, humidity, and soil moisture) for growth and development of blackberry cuttings in Swat. Therefore, 15^th July is recommended as the most suitable planting date for enhancing propagation and successive plant vigor under the local agro-climatic condition. Furthermore, multi-location and multi-season studies are suggested to support region wide recommendations.