International Journal of Horticulture, 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 279-289 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 287 polyhouse, may have also contributed to the effectiveness of hormone treatments by providing favorable conditions for hormone activity, enzymatic functions, and carbohydrate mobilization. The superiority of combined IBA and NAA treatments observed in this study reflects the importance of synergistic auxin action in non-traditional fruit crops. Such integration has also been noted in recent works on mulberry (Das et al., 2020), fig (Reddy et al., 2021), and citrus (Zhang et al., 2023), where auxin combinations enhanced both rooting efficiency and subsequent vegetative vigor. The physiological explanation may lie in the complementary enhancement of both root and shoot sinks: IBA efficiently directs photosynthates and hormones toward root initials, while NAA simultaneously promotes shoot elongation and branching, resulting in overall better establishment of cuttings. Furthermore, auxin-mediated improvements in shoot and root parameters contribute to better nutrient and water absorption, enhanced survival rates, and long-term plant vigor, all of which are critical for successful orchard establishment. Overall, the findings highlight that optimizing exogenous auxin treatments, particularly the IBA-NAA combination, provides a sustainable and efficient strategy for large-scale dragon fruit propagation. This is particularly relevant in the Nepalese context, where dragon fruit is emerging as a high-value crop with increasing consumer demand. Adoption of these practices can improve propagation success, reduce farmer risk, lower dependency on imported planting materials, and promote diversification of fruit-based farming systems. Additionally, the ability to propagate healthy, uniform plants at scale will help farmers meet market demand, increase profitability, and contribute to the commercialization of dragon fruit as a viable agribusiness enterprise in Nepal. 5 Conclusion This study successfully addressed the propagation challenges of dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) by evaluating the effects of different growth hormones on rooting and vegetative growth. Results showed that the combined application of Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at 400 PPM and α-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 200 PPM was the most effective treatment, producing the highest number of roots, longest root and shoot lengths, largest shoot diameters, and earlier root and shoot emergence. In contrast, higher concentrations of IBA alone (7,500 PPM) performed particularly well in increasing root diameter and biomass but were less effective than the IBA + NAA combination in terms of root length and root number. Treatments with NAA alone also enhanced root and shoot development but were comparatively less effective than the combined application. The control group consistently showed the poorest performance, highlighting the importance of exogenous hormone application. Overall, the findings suggest that while IBA enhances root diameter, the synergistic effect of IBA and NAA optimizes rooting success, shoot development, and overall cutting performance. The use of IBA 400 PPM + NAA 200 PPM can therefore be recommended as a reliable strategy for improving uniformity and propagation efficiency in commercial dragon fruit cultivation, contributing valuable insights for sustainable horticultural practices. Authors’ contributions SN conducted the conceptualization, methodology design, software implementation and data curation, carried out the formal analysis and investigation, prepared the original draft, and contributed to manuscript review and editing as well as visualization. RS, PKM, SK and MC contributed to the preparation of the original draft and participated in manuscript review and editing. MC also contributed to visualization, software implementation and methodological development. RD participated in visualization, software implementation and methodological design, carried out the original draft preparation, and contributed to manuscript review and editing. SKS performed the validation and contributed to the investigation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. References Ahmad H., Mirana A. S., Mahbuba S., Tareq S. M., and Uddin A. J., 2016, Performance of IBA concentrations for rooting of dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) stem cuttings, Int. J. Bus. Soc. Sci. Res., 4(4): 231-234. Ali M., Hasan M., Rahman M., and Sarker B., 2020, Influence of plant growth regulators on vegetative propagation of dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus), Int. J. Hortic. Sci. Technol., 7(3): 267-276. https://doi.org/10.22059/ijhst.2020.290031.323 Ali S. I., Kumar T. S., Kumar A. K., Joshi V., and Kumar B. N., 2022, Studies on effect of different concentrations of IBA and length of cuttings on rooting and shoot growth performance in dragon fruit Hylocereus spp. - red flesh with pink skin under Telangana conditions, Pharma Innov. J., 11(3): 738-743.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==