There are several challenges that can arise when planting trees from cuttings.
One of the main challenges is getting the cuttings to root successfully. Losses of unrooted cuttings are severe for many forestry companies and the best clones often have the biggest challenges with rooting and survival.
On top of this one must maintain the right level of moisture, fight disease and Pests, and provide a good balance of light, moisture and shade for the cuttings, and more. All these conditions must be controlled in the early stage which is 30 to 60 days depending on the location. In this early stage most losses happen either due to the failing with given roots or due to losses from Botrytis /fungal diseases.
However, there are plenty of advantages to growing trees from cuttings versus from seeds. With cuttings, a faster start to cultivation can be achieved, as in fact, it is already a small plant. Compared to seeds, cuttings, thus, have a shorter growth period, which generally means that you can harvest faster.
In conclusion, the grower knows that a tree grown from a cutting will be an exact clone, ensuring quality and creating a predictable outcome, which is not the case when you use seedlings.
The OptiBoost for Cuttings application aims to erase the challenges surrounding the cultivation of cuttings, with proven results for Eucalyptus cuttings, more and more forestry companies are eager to test the technology.
OptiBoost for cuttings is an application based on Vacuum infusion technology. By treating cuttings, such as Eucalyptus or Corymbia, with VI several advantages are obtained, for example:
After several tests and trials in the lab environment, the first prototype was tested in the field. In 2021 a pilot trial with the prototype was conducted in South Africa for the treatment of Eucalyptus cuttings, showing very good results. Another pilot trial was conducted in South America confirming the good results.
The results showed that there are numerous benefits for the forest industry generated by the OptiBoost method including better rooting, stronger branching, more surviving plants, and fewer losses.
Therefore, an application better tailored to the needs of the forest industry and adjusted for cuttings was developed. A smaller unit called SAGA, with a capacity for treating 30 000 cuttings/h.
Average Survival/Loss for control plants
46%
Average Yield Increase
Average Survival/Loss for plants treated with OptiBoost. Planted in the same environment as the control plants.
Example of results from pilot evaluation in South Africa 2021.
SAGA is a smaller unit compared to the FREJA, used for cut flowers. But, it is based on the same technique – vacuum infusion or impregnation (VI). The SAGA unit is placed in – or close to – the nursery and unrooted cuttings are placed in the treatment chamber. After cuttings are harvested they are placed in the Saga chamber to be treated for 30 sec and then further to the planting facility. In another words – cuttings treatment is an intermediate process! Features and functions include:
The vacuum impregnation machine contains water with a nutrient solution developed using nanotechnology.
The nutrient solution is often tailored for the cutting or rose variety to be treated because all plant groups have different conditions and are different in difficulty in achieving results.
A vacuum is built up in the upper part of the chamber via vacuum pumps. When a vacuum occurs, the air in the plant’s cell walls is sucked out, and when the vacuum then releases, the nutrient solution migrates in instead of the previous air. In this way, the cell walls are filled with the water-based nutrient solution instead of air and one can see a sign of impregnation as the leaves start showing dark spots.
A vacuum cycle with impregnation often takes no more than thirty seconds. Instructions for how the vacuum impregnation should be carried out are determined in the form of a so-called ”recipe”, which in addition to specifying the nutrient solution used also contains instructions for the vacuum treatment. Tests in OptiCept’s laboratory are behind the development of the recipes.
Below is a video illustrating how Eucalyptus cuttings are exposed to the OptiBoost treatment.
Of course, increasing the survival rate of unrooted cuttings can increase sustainability in the forest industry by reducing the need for harvesting mature trees for planting, which can lead to less deforestation and less disruption to natural ecosystems.
Additionally, using unrooted cuttings, which are genetically identical to the parent tree, ensures consistency in the tree population, which can be beneficial for forest management and conservation. Moreover, reforestation using unrooted cuttings can be more efficient and cost-effective compared to traditional seedling planting methods.
Better and stronger cuttings can benefit the forest industry in several ways:
Want to explore the possibilities with OptiBoost for your business? Fill out the form below and connect with us.
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