OPTIMIZING LAVENDER PROPAGATION METHODS, TO INCREASE THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE CROP ON SMALL – SCALE HOLDINGS

Abstract

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia L.) is one of the species cultivated in many countries of the world, being used as a medicinal, industrial and ornamental plant. It is distinguished as one of the most valuable plant species with a high content of essential oils. It is known that Lavender has a low seed germination rate, requiring vegetative propagation techniques, appropriate for obtaining high-quality planting material, which ensures both uniformity and high productivity. This work aimed to identify the most efficient method of lavender propagation by cuttings, to be economically profitable, and thus to support farmers who want to establish a Lavender crop but have limited financial resources. To determine the effect of cutting length on the rooting process, a factorial experiment was carried out, consisting of five variations of cutting length and a control variant of seed propagation. Each experimental variant had five repetitions, the tested lengths were: 3 cm, 5 cm, 8 cm, 10 cm and 15 cm, rooting and emergence evaluations were made 30 days after planting. The results obtained showed that the best rooting variant of lavender cuttings is 5 cm with a percentage of 87% rooted cuttings 45 days after planting.