Propagation of Arizona Cypress through Grafting: A Case Study in Albania (Short Communication)

The grafting of ornamental plants is a relatively new practice in Albania aimed at improving both yields and the environment. Although much information is available on the seedling production of Cupressus spp., whereas few grafting cases have been recorded .This note reports the first grafting of the Arizona cypress ( the scion), which is not well known in Albania, on a local ecotype of Mediterranean cypress (the rootstock). The experiment was carried out in a plastic greenhouse in the Laknas area in February 2016by approach graftage. Five hundred grafted baby plants were grown in controlled conditions (T=22°C e UR 90%). RGR-rootstock (33 mg g-1d -1) was higher than RGR-scion (18 mg g-1d -1). This can be explained by the fact that after grafting, the root system of the plant experiences a slowdown in growth rate because of the crunch of grafting. It is thought to be caused by both components from different species with genetic variation with each other . This great difference, when all growing conditions are the same, can also be explained by the quality of grafting for each plant. At the end of our study, the percentage of grafting compatibility was 87% in Category A (perfect union).