Iranian Journal of Forest

Iranian Journal of Forest

The effect of natural extracts of willow and aloe vera and the growth hormone auxin on the propagation of viburnum (Viburnum tinus L.) cuttings

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
V Karimi
Assistant Prof., Botanical Garden of Nowshahr, Botany Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Nowshahr, Iran.
10.22034/ijf.2026.565040.2095
Abstract
Introduction: Botanical gardens harbor a wide variety of plant species, many of which eventually reach advanced stages of maturity. Propagation programs play an important role in conserving and regenerating these species. Many of the trees and shrubs in Nowshahr Botanical Garden are forest species. However, the viburnum shrub (Viburnum tinus L.) is valued as both a forest and an ornamental shrub.. Cuttings are one of the main methods of propagating this plant, which can produce a plant similar to the mother plant in a short time. Today, various auxin hormones are used to facilitate the propagation process by cuttings, which are expensive and at the same time harmful to environmental health. The use of natural materials that are harmless to humans and the environment represents a promising alternative to synthetic rooting hormones. This research was conducted in order to revive the species, considering some environmental aspects for vegetative propagation of Viburnum tinus L.
Material and Methods: This study was conducted on Viburnum tinus L. cuttings at Nowshahr Botanical Garden, Iran, from late autumn 2024 to late summer 2025 (1403–1404 in the Iranian calendar). The treatments consisted of willow (Salix alba) extract at two concentrations (0% [control] and 20%), Aloe vera extract at two concentrations (0% [control] and 20%), and the synthetic auxin naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at three concentrations (0 [control], 5,000, and 10,000 ppm). To extract willow, young, one-year-old branches of the willow tree were used. To extract aloe vera extract, pure gel from old leaves was used. The synthetic auxin hormone naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) was among the purchased materials. Soil testing was performed before planting the cuttings. Cuttings approximately 15 cm in length and 10 mm in diameter were prepared from young branches, and 10 cuttings were selected for each treatment. The cuttings were immediately subjected to the respective experimental treatments. After the cuttings grew and developed, the morphological traits measured included the diameter of the new branch, the height of the tallest bud grown, leaf length and width, root length, root fresh and dry weights and leaf photosynthetic rate.
Results: The results of this study indicated that treatments involving natural extracts and the synthetic auxin naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) significantly affected growth and rooting parameters compared with the control. The largest branch diameters were recorded in Aloe vera extract and at a concentration of 10,000 ppm NAA, measuring 0.3 and 0.29 cm, respectively. The greatest leaf lengths were observed in the willow extract and 5000 ppm NAA concentration, measuring 6.46 and 6.1 cm, respectively. Similarly, the greatest leaf width was recorded in these treatments. The longest root was recorded in Aloe vera extract with a concentration of 20%, with a length of 19.78 cm, followed by willow extract with a mean root length of 19 cm. The highest number of roots was recorded at a concentration of 10,000 ppm NAA at 3.53, followed by 3.36 in Aloe vera extract. The highest fresh and dry root weights were observed in Aloe Vera extract with a concentration of 20%, 0.361 and 0.034 grams, respectively. The highest amount of leaf photosynthesis was observed in Aloe vera extract at 2.41 mg/wt. In most of the measured indicators, the control had the lowest performance among the treatments.
Conclusion: In this experiment, Aloe Vera extract with a concentration of 20% in viburnum was selected as the superior treatment due to the high value of some growth indicators such as branch diameter, leaf photosynthesis rate, and root length. However, willow extract also has the ability to replace the synthetic auxin NAA in the propagation of the viburnum shrub.
Keywords
Aloe
extract
Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA)
Vegetative propagation
Viburnum
Willow.
Subjects
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Iranian Journal of Forest
Volume 18, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
Autumn 2026
Pages 289-303

  • Receive Date 13 December 2025
  • Revise Date 13 May 2026
  • Accept Date 28 February 2026