Study on the propagation of Actinidia latifolia and actinidia deliciosa in Lam Dong province, Vietnam

1, B2, B3, B4, and B5, respectively). The 
experiment was performed on a sand tray in a greenhouse. Each treatment used 30 
cuttings that were harvested after 60 days. The rooting percentage (%), number of 
roots/cutting, and length of roots/cutting (cm) were recorded. 
 • Influence of IBA on root formation of Actinidia latifolia cuttings: 
 The experimental material is Actinidia latifolia semi-hardwood cuttings of about 
10-12 cm in length (Figure 1). IBA plant growth regulator was used in concentrations of 
0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% (denoted C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5, respectively). The 
experiment was performed on a sand tray in a greenhouse. Each treatment used 30 
cuttings that were harvested after 60 days. The rooting percentage (%), number of 
roots/cutting, and length of roots/cutting (cm) were recorded. 
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 • Germination and growth of kiwifruit on sand substrates: 
 The materials are green kiwifruit seeds extracted from fresh fruit and washed 
under tap water. The experiment was performed on a sand tray in a greenhouse. The 
treatment used 100 seeds. The plants were harvested after 30 days and the following data 
were recorded: germination percentage (%), height of seedlings (cm), the initial day of 
germination (day), and the final day of germination (day). 
 • Influence of different growth media mixtures on kiwifruit seedling growth: 
 The experimental materials were kiwifruit seedlings with a height of 1.0-1.2 cm. 
The substrate test was based on the mixing ratio of coconut coir and soil with coir contents 
of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% (denoted D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5, respectively). The 
experiment was performed in plastic bags of size 6 x 12 cm placed in the greenhouse. 
Each treatment used 25 plants that were harvested after 60 days, and the survival 
percentage (%), height of seedlings (cm), and number of leaves/seedling were recorded. 
2.3. Statistical analysis 
 The statistical analysis was performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences 
(SPSS) software version 16.0 using Duncan’s range test (Duncan, 1955). 
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
3.1. Influence of NAA, IBA, and IAA on root formation of Actinidia latifolia 
cuttings 
 Phytohormones are auxiliary substances that act as plant growth regulators 
(PGRs) under nursery conditions to increase the number of seedlings, shorten rooting 
time, increase rooting percentage, and increase the number of roots per plant 
(Kulevanona, 2011). Many research results show that PGRs influence rooting parameters 
and that different types of PGRs are suitable for different plant species. Nazir et al. (2018) 
showed that Taxus wallichiana cuttings are best rooted using 1,000 ppm IBA and cuttings 
in the spring (March to May). Salvia fruticosa has the best rooting results when IAA is 
used (Sağlam et al., 2014). Zhang et al. (2015) compared the effects of NAA, IBA, and 
IAA on Carya illinoinensis and demonstrated that the rooting effect on this plant is best 
with NAA, intermediate with IBA, and least with IAA. 
 Results of experiments that evaluated three different types of PGRs (NAA, IBA, 
and IAA) on Actinidia latifolia rooting formation to find suitable concentrations and 
PGRs for cuttings are shown in Table 1. The rooting percentage in the treatments with 
NAA at all concentrations were higher than for the control. The rooting percentages for 
the NAA treatments ranged from 50.00% to 76.67%, compared to the rooting percentage 
of 30.00% for the control. The rooting percentage was highest with the 1.00% NAA 
treatment (2.5 times higher than the control). In addition to the rooting percentage, the 
number of roots and their lengths are very important in assessing the quality of the 
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 Le Hong En, Hoang Thanh Truong, and Nguyen Thanh Nguyen 
cuttings. The number of roots was lowest in the control treatment (1.33 roots/cutting) and 
highest in the 1.00% NAA treatment (3.91 roots/cutting). The root lengths were in the 
range of 2.41-5.65 cm/cutting with the shortest lengths for the control treatment and the 
longest for the 1.00% NAA treatment. For an experiment using NAA, a concentration of 
1.00% is recommended for the best cuttings results. 
 Figure 1. Experimental Actinidia latifolia cuttings 
 Note: (a) Branch with flowers; (b, c) Branches with fruit; (d) Cuttings (left to right: softwood, semi-
 hardwood, and hardwood); (e) Callus formation cuttings and rooting cuttings. 
 Table 1. Influence of NAA on root formation of Actinidia latifolia cuttings 
 Rooting Number of Length of 
 Concentration 
 Treatment percentage roots/cutting roots/cutting 
 (%) 
 (%) (cm) 
 A1 Control 30.00 1.33 ± 0.50c 2.41 ± 0.42c 
 A2 0.50 60.00 1.72 ± 0.89bc 2.82 ± 0.85c 
 A3 1.00 76.67 3.91 ± 1.65a 5.65 ± 1.18a 
 A4 1.50 56.67 2.41 ± 1.28b 3.66 ± 0.94b 
 A5 2.00 50.00 2.00 ± 0.65bc 3.53 ± 0.86b 
 Mean 54.67 2.49 ± 1.49 3.87 ± 1.50 
 Note: Data are shown as mean ± SD. Data in each column followed by different letters were significantly 
 different at p ≤ 0.05 using Duncan’s test. 
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 The use of IBA also affects rooting similar to NAA (Table 2). All experimental 
treatments gave rooting parameters higher than the control. The best rooting treatment 
was IBA at 1.00% concentration, which gave a rooting percentage of 66.67%, 2.43 
roots/cutting, and root lengths of 4.42 cm/cutting. The most effective concentration is 
followed by treatments with IBA at concentrations of 1.50%, 2.00%, and 0.50%. The 
control treatment has the lowest rooting efficiency. The most effective concentration of 
IAA of 1.50% (compared to 1.00% for NAA and IBA) produced a rooting percentage of 
66.67%, 2.81 roots/cutting, and root lengths of 4.34 cm/cutting (Table 3). The next best 
treatments were 1.00% IAA and 2.00% IAA. The treatment of 0.50% IAA and the control 
treatment had similar results. 
 Table 2. Influence of IBA on root formation of Actinidia latifolia cuttings 
 Rooting Number of Length of 
 Concentration 
 Treatment percentage roots/cutting roots/cutting 
 (%) 
 (%) (cm) 
 B1 Control 30.00 1.33 ± 0.50c 2.41 ± 0.42c 
 B2 0.50 60.00 1.39 ± 0.61c 2.68 ± 0.40c 
 B3 1.00 66.67 2.43 ± 1.25a 4.42 ± 0.85a 
 B4 1.50 60.00 2.06 ± 0.54ab 4.29 ± 0.57a 
 B5 2.00 36.67 1.82 ± 1.25ab 3.17 ± 0.48b 
 Mean 54.67 1.88 ± 0.99 3.57 ± 1.02 
Note: Data are shown as mean ± SD. Data in each column followed by different letters were significantly 
 different at p ≤ 0.05 using Duncan’s test. 
 Table 3. Influence of IAA on root formation of Actinidia latifolia cuttings 
 Rooting Number of Length of 
 Concentration 
 Treatment percentage roots/cutting roots/cutting 
 (%) 
 (%) (cm) 
 C1 Control 30.00 1.33 ± 0.50b 2.41 ± 0.42d 
 C2 0.50 56.67 1.29 ± 0.47b 2.69 ± 0.61d 
 C3 1.00 63.33 1.47 ± 0.51b 3.81 ± 0.58b 
 C4 1.50 66.67 2.81 ± 1.21a 4.34 ± 0.57a 
 C5 2.00 50.00 1.73 ± 0.88b 3.13 ± 0.62c 
 Mean 53.33 1.81 ± 1.00 3.43 ± 0.91 
Note: Data are shown as mean ± SD. Data in each column followed by different letters were significantly 
 different at p ≤ 0.05 using Duncan’s test. 
 Comparing the use of growth regulators in all three treatments, 1.0% NAA, 1.0% 
IBA, and 1.5% IAA, the rooting parameters were better, but more variable than with the 
control (Figure 2). PGRs should be used at appropriate doses because high concentrations 
inhibit rooting, similar to the above experiments (Tables 1-3). When NAA and IBA were 
used in concentrations of 1.5% and 2.0%, the rooting parameters were less than with the 
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 Le Hong En, Hoang Thanh Truong, and Nguyen Thanh Nguyen 
 1.0% treatment. Similarly, concentrations over 1.5% should not be used with IAA. The 
 above results are also consistent with previous research results (Nazir et al., 2018; Sağlam 
 et al., 2014; Sun & Bassuk, 1991; Zhang et al. 2015). 
 Figure 2. Influence of three plant growth regulators at various concentrations on 
 root formation of semi-hardwood cuttings 
 3.2. Germination and growth of kiwifruit on sand substrates 
 Results of kiwifruit sowing are shown in Table 4. Kiwifruit seeds sown on sand 
 have a germination percentage of 81.00%. The seeds began to germinate after 19 days 
 and germination ended after 25 days. The germination percentage can be increased by 
 carefully selecting seeds, using germination stimulants, controlling the temperature, and 
 choosing the right substrate. By so doing, the germination percentage reached 99.17% 
 (Celik et al., 2006). 
 Table 4. Germination and growth of kiwifruit on sand substrate 
 Rooting percentage Height of seedlings Initial day of germination Final day of germination 
Substrate 
 (%) (cm) (day) (day) 
Sand 81 1.0-1.2 19 25 
 3.3. Influence of substrates on kiwifruit growth 
 When the seeds had germinated, hulled, and had two cotyledons, they were 
 transplanted for the substrate mixing experiments. Plants are adapted to different soil 
 types, with soil porosity and water-holding being important factors affecting plant 
 growth. Table 5 shows growth results of kiwifruit seedlings for different soil-coconut coir 
 combination ratios. The survival percentage is over 90% in all treatments. The most 
 suitable soil and coconut coir mixture for kiwifruit seedlings is 25% soil mixed with 75% 
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coconut coir. The tallest seedlings and the highest number of leaves/seedling were 5.02 cm 
and 7.17 leaves, respectively. For the least effective treatment, 100% soil, the plant height 
was only 2.10 cm and seedlings had only 3.88 leaves on average. The variations in the 
number of leaves and plant height in the experimental treatments are expressed in the 
standard deviation values (Figure 3). The standard deviation of the number of leaves in 
the treatments ranged from 0.40 to 0.52 (except for treatment D2, which was 0.24). The 
standard deviation of plant height ranged from 0.61 to 0.80. These initial results show 
that the nursery-stage kiwifruit seedlings are suited to soils with high porosity and 
moisture content rather than compact, low-moisture soils. The growth results of the 
substrate treatments are shown clearly in Figure 4. Seedlings in the nursery grew and 
adapted well to the weather conditions in Da Lat (Lam Dong province) (Figure 5). 
 Table 5. Influence of substrates on kiwifruit growth 
 Treatment 
 Living percentage Height of seedling Number of 
 Symbol Soil Coconut coir (%) (cm) leaves/seedling 
 (%) (%) 
 D1 100 0 96.00 2.10 ± 0.41e 3.88 ± 0.80d 
 D2 75 25 96.00 2.66 ± 0.24d 5.17 ± 0.70c 
 D3 50 50 100.00 3.28 ± 0.44c 5.96 ± 0.61b 
 D4 25 75 96.00 5.02 ± 0.40a 7.17 ± 0.64a 
 D5 0 100 92.00 4.28 ± 0.52b 6.30 ± 0.70b 
 Mean 96.00 3.46 ± 1.14 5.69 ± 1.31 
Note: Data are shown as mean ± SD. Data in each column followed by different letters were significantly 
 different at p ≤ 0.05 using Duncan’s test. 
Figure 3. Height and number of kiwifruit seedling leaves for various experimental 
 treatments 
 30 
 Le Hong En, Hoang Thanh Truong, and Nguyen Thanh Nguyen 
 (a) (b) (c) 
 (d) (e) (f) 
 Figure 4. Growth of kiwifruit seedlings for various experimental substrates 
Note: (a) Mixed soil and coconut coir substrates, from left to right: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% coconut 
coir; (b) Control (0% coconut coir); (c) 25% coconut coir; (d) 50% coconut coir; (e) 75% coconut coir; 
 (f) 100% coconut coir. 
 Figure 5. Growth of kiwifruit seedlings after three months 
4. CONCLUSIONS 
 The results of this study show that PGRs can promote the root formation of 
Actinidia latifolia in propagation by cuttings. Using a concentration of 1.0% for NAA and 
IBA and a concentration of 1.5% for IAA showed the strongest effect on root growth. 
The germination percentage of kiwifruit seeds reached 81.0% after 25 days. The best 
substrate for the growth of kiwifruit seedlings is 25.0% soil with 75.0% coconut coir. 
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
 The authors would like to thank the Forest Science Institute of Central Highlands 
and South of Central Vietnam. They created the most favorable conditions for us to 
complete this study. 
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