Endogenous soluble sugars, starch contents and phenolic compounds in easy - and difficult – to – root olive cuttings

Abstract

This study was carried out to elucidate the relationship between the monthly changes of rooting ability and inner condition of cuttings, such as soluble sugars, starch contents and the total phenolic content in cuttings of olive, and to determine the great differences in the rooting potential of cultivars and clones within a species were shown in many cultivars of olives. Several factors, at biochemical and molecular levels, interact in the formation and development of adventitious roots. The formation of adventitious root is an essential process in propagation of olive tree. The ability of rooting is critical in several strongly recalcitrant olive cultivars. The availability and mobilization of carbohydrates towards the base of cuttings appear can be major factors related to rooting of olive cuttings. Although "Roghani" cuttings shows a maximum soluble sugars and starch contents at the beginning of the experiment. But a completely different situation was found 60 days later. Soluble sugars were higher in all of the cultivars in comparison with at the beginning of the experiment. There were significant differences between 3 cultivars in the total phenolic content and the highest phenolic compounds were found in "Konsrvalia" after 120 days and the lowest phenolic compounds were found in "Roghani" cultivar.