Differences in endo/exogenous auxin profile in cuttings of different physiological ages

The process of physiological ageing in woody plants is a very important factor influencing adventitious rooting. However, there is a lack of knowledge of biochemical backgrounds triggering ageing and consequently, rhizogenesis. Experiments with Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis' leafy cuttings of three different physiological ages (adult (over 40-year-old stock plants), semi-adult (5-year-old cutting plants) and juvenile (5-year-old in vitro plants)) were conducted in 2009. Half of the cuttings were banded ca. 3 cm above the bottom of the cutting with aluminum wire prior to insertion into the substrate to block the polar auxin transport. IBA, which was exogenously applied to the cuttings, could only be detected in the base of the cuttings on the first day after severance. Juvenile cuttings tended to have the highest values, but the effect was age specific. Later, the detection was not possible, regardless of the age. The IAA profile in cutting bases was similar for all physiological ages, reaching the peak on the first day after severance. Juvenile cuttings, in which the stems had been banded before insertion, contained more IAA in their bases on day 1 compared to the stems, which were not banded. These cuttings presumably transported absorbed auxin mainly via phloem, and not via mass flow like semi-adult and adult cuttings, where IAA concentrations were similar or even greater in non-banded cuttings compared to banded ones. These cuttings also tended to exhibit the best rooting results. The IAA-Asp accumulation was especially strong in adult cuttings, which contained significantly more aspartate on the first and third days after severance when compared with semi-adult and juvenile cuttings.