For the propagation of some plants, cuttings are used as propagation material, these cuttings are vegetative material obtained from plants that have good yields and it is desired to continue propagating them, an example of the cuttings are the fractions of stems or branches, this type of material does not have roots and in some cases the producers want to stimulate the appearance of the roots to be able to obtain a better establishment. In agricultural produce stores you can find products known as rooters to stimulate the appearance of roots quickly. But the idea is not to be dependent on external products and to be able to make a rooting agent with endogenous resources, which are economic, ecological and efficient, that's why in this publication we will teach you how to make a natural rooting agent using lentils.
Before starting with the tutorial to make the homemade rooting, let's talk a little about the influence of a phytohormone that influences the root system of plants, because according to Garay (2014), the development and growth of plants are influenced not only by climatic and nutritional factors but also by phytohormones. These phytohormones are substances of a very diverse chemical nature that affect the function of different types of cells, tissues and organs.
Within these phytohormones is the auxins that according to the literature participates in the development processes of plants, this hormone stimulates the formation of secondary roots, therefore, it has become very common in agriculture to apply auxins to promote the rooting of cuttings, is that sense, Jordan and Casaretto (2006), they indicated that auxins stimulate the division of cells located in the pericycle (tissue surrounding the vascular cylinder of the root of vascular plants) in the area just above the elongation zone to cause the formation of lateral roots and adventitious roots (superficial roots).
Because of the aforementioned, it is that lentil was chosen as the material to make the natural rooting agent, because according to Espinoza, Hernández, Arellanes and Mesa (2018), lentils when germinating release auxins that are phytohormones or plant hormone, which functions as a regulator in plant growth, essentially, it causes the elongation of cells. A liquid rooting agent can be made with the lentils which can be used by placing a part of the cuttings immersed in the solution consisting of water and 10% of the liquid lentil rooting agent.
Next, we share with you the methodology to make a liquid product based on lentils that serves as a rooterfor cuttings and plants.
- 100 grams of lentils and a container with 400 ml of water are taken, then the lentils are poured into the water and left submerged for 10 hours in a cool place and well covered with a cloth with the intention of providing the necessary moisture so that the seeds can germinate.
- After 10 hours of soaking the seeds, the water is removed using a strainer and the extracted water and the moist seeds are kept well covered until the next day where the water will be applied again to the seeds and left submerged for a few minutes, this process will be carried out for four days in a row until a large percentage of the seeds are germinated.
- As mentioned the process lasts about four days, but after the first 24 hours you can see some germinated seeds. After the four days have elapsed, the germinated seeds and the water with which the seeds have been soaked are taken and placed in a blender, if you notice a small amount of water you can add a little more and it liquefies.
- After we have liquefied the germinated lentil seeds with water, we proceed to separate the liquid from the solid with a strainer, the liquid obtained should contain a high concentration of auxins that will help the process of root formation of the cuttings.
Finally, we use a container to store the liquid obtained in the refrigerator. If it is not used immediately, when it is intended to be used, it is prepared with a proportion of 100 ml of rooting product per liter of water and a part of the cuttings are immersed to stimulate the root system.
| Final considerations |
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Dear readers, as it could be evidenced there is a great diversity of ecological alternatives for the management of agricultural crops, in the case of nurseries or orchards it is essential to use this type of products that help the development of the roots especially if the propagation of crops is carried out with vegetative seeds. In this way, costs will be reduced and substances that do not alter the biology of the soil will be used.
| Bibliographic references |
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Jordán, M. and Casaretto, J. (2006). Hormones and Growth Regulators: Auxins, Gibberellins and Cytokinins. Ediciones Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile.
Garay, A.; Paz, M.; García, B.; Alvarez, E. y Gutierrez, C. (2014). The homeostasis of auxins and its importance
in the development of Thaliana Arabidosis. REB 33(1): 13-22.Espinoza, J.; Hernández, M.; Arellanes, C. and Mesa, C. (2018). Obtaining auxins from lentil sprouts. Autonomous University of Sinaloa. Mexico.
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