International Journal of Horticulture, 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 279-289 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 285 moderate root elongation, while the control remained significantly inferior throughout, with the lowest root length of 12.62 cm at 90 DAP. The coefficient of variation (CV) declined from 15.09% at 30 DAP to 5.81% at 90 DAP, reflecting increased uniformity in treatment responses over time. SEM values were relatively low (±0.311 to ±0.462), indicating consistency in measurements. Overall, the results confirm that hormone treatments, particularly the combination of IBA 400 PPM + NAA 200 PPM, markedly promote root elongation in dragon fruit cuttings. Table 6 Effect of growth hormones on average number of roots per cutting Treatments Average number of roots per cuttings 30DAP 60DAP 90DAP IBA-7,500 PPM 9.72a 14.72a 20.22a IBA-6,500 PPM 8.40a 13.40a 18.90ab NAA-200 PPM 6.15b 9.85b 15.35b NAA-400 PPM 6.42b 10.42b 15.92b IBA-400 PPM +NAA-200 PPM 8.80a 13.70a 19.20a Control 3.47c 6.77c 10.57c Mean 7.16 11.47 16.69 CV(%) 15.16 10.02 6.89 SEM(±) 0.474 0.606 0.708 F-test *** *** *** Note: ***Significant at 0.1 % level of significance, **Significant at 1% level of significance, *Significant at 5 % level of significance., DAP: Day After Planting, CV: Coefficient of variance, SEM: standard error mean Table 7 Effect of growth hormones on length of roots per cutting Treatments Average root length per cutting (cm) 30DAP 60DAP 90DAP IBA-7,500 PPM 6.82ab 11.82ab 17.82a IBA-6,500 PPM 6.52ab 11.52ab 17.52ab NAA-200 PPM 6.02b 11.02b 15.52c NAA-400 PPM 6.72ab 11.72ab 16.22bc IBA-400 PPM +NAA-200 PPM 7.82a 12.82a 18.82a Control 4.02c 7.02c 12.62d Mean 6.32 10.99 16.42 CV(%) 15.09 8.68 5.81 SEM(±) 0.311 0.433 0.462 F-test *** *** *** Note: ***Significant at 0.1 % level of significance, **Significant at 1% level of significance, *Significant at 5 % level of significance., DAP: Day After Planting, CV: Coefficient of variance, SEM: standard error mean 3.7 Effect of growth hormones on diameter of roots per cutting The data show highly significant differences (*** at 0.1% level) among treatments at all time intervals (Table 8). At 30 DAP, the highest root diameter was observed in IBA 400 PPM + NAA 200 PPM (0.62 mm), followed by IBA 7,500 PPM (0.56 mm), while the lowest was recorded in the control (0.09 mm), indicating a strong positive response to hormonal treatment. Similar trends persisted through 60 and 90 DAP, with IBA 400 PPM + NAA 200 PPM and IBA 7,500 PPM continuing to outperform other treatments. At 90 DAP, IBA 7,500 PPM and IBA 6500 PPM recorded the thickest roots (1.78 mm and 1.75 mm, respectively), statistically at par with IBA 400 PPM + NAA 200 PPM (1.66 mm), while NAA treatments showed moderate effectiveness. The control exhibited the smallest root diameter (0.60 mm at 90 DAP), highlighting its limited ability to enhance root girth. The coefficient of variation (CV) decreased from 17.02% at 30 DAP to 5.79% at 90 DAP, suggesting improved uniformity among replicates over time. Standard error of mean (SEM) values remained low across all intervals (±0.039 to ±0.090), supporting the reliability of the results. In summary, the application of growth hormones—especially the combination of IBA 400 PPM + NAA 200 PPM—significantly enhanced root diameter development in dragon fruit cuttings compared to untreated controls.
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