Effect of soil nursery mixtures and hormone on the growth of Tetrastigma rafflesiae (Miq.) planch

Tetrastigma rafflesiae (Miq.) Planch is one of the sole host species of parasitic plants in the family Rafflesiaceae. A study was conducted in order to propagate this species using vegetative propagation. This propagation technique was done using stem cuttings and was conducted in the nursery at the National University of Malaysia (UKM). The propagation medium were made using four types of soil nursery mixtures of topsoil, organic matter and sand (7:3:1, 3:2:1, 2:1:1 and 1:1:1), mixture of topsoil, organic matter, sand and three different hormones treatments (0:0:IAA, 0:0:IBA and 0:0:NAA) and without any hormone treatment in basic soil (1:0:0, 0:1:0 and 0:0:1) was treated as a control. Approximately, stem cutting was used in 15 cm length. The base of each cutting was treated with root powdered hormones before being planted in soil. After 180 days of planting, the high number of leaf quantity (>12 leaves) was produced from stem cutting planted in 3:2:1 soil mixtures and the same results was obtained from stem cutting more than 15 cm to 18.78 cm in length, significantly. Soil mixture with 7:3:1 has significantly increased the leaf chlorophyll contents (10.22 nm) and also increased in leaf area index (16.375 cm²). Treatment hormones do not have any significant result in this study. The study has showed that T. rafflesiae can be propagated using cuttings as alternative source of planting materials for conservation purposes.