Propagation of Flacourtia jangomas: an approach towards the domestication of wild fruit species in Bangladesh

The study was carried out to investigate the domestication potential of Flacourtia jangomas (Lour.) Raeusch, a wild fruit species in Bangladesh, through nursery raising from seeds and clonal propagation by stem cutting. Air dried seeds were treated with four different pre-sowing treatments i.e., control (T0), seeds soakedin coldwater for 24 h (T1), 48 h (T2), or 72 h (T3) to explore the seedgermination ability of the species. Pre-sowing treatments significantly enhancedthe germination period, germination percentage andbiomass production of seedlings. The early germination (least imbibition period), highest germination percentage (81.3) and total dry biomass (0.52 g) was observed in T2 (seeds soaked in cold water for 48 h) while the lowest germination percentage (53.7) andtotal dry biomass (0.23 g) was observedin T3 andT0 respectively. The plant species was highly amenable for rooting for clonal propagation. However, the rooting ability of cuttings was significantly affectedby the application of IBA. The highest rooting percentage (100), maximum root number (5.63), the longest root length (3.28 cm) andbest survival (85.0%) were obtainedfrom the cuttings treatedwith 0.4% IBA solution followed by 0.2% IBA andthe lowest was in cuttings without treatment. Therefore, pre-sowing treatment ‘soaking of seeds in cold water for 48 h for nursery raising and ‘0.4% IBA treatment’ of stem cuttings for clonal propagation may be recommended for mass production of quality planting stocks for the domestication of the species through homestead agroforestry or in fruit orchards.