Anatomical and physiological characterization of the vegetative propagation of Piper aduncum L.

Piper aduncum L., has great impotence in folk medicine and agriculture (insecticide and fungicide) due to the presence of essential oil in its structures, being mainly in the stem and leaves. Despite the commercial importance of this species, little is known about its propagation mechanisms. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different substrates on the rooting of P. aduncum cuttings, taken from different portions of the plant, opposing these results with the anatomical characteristics. Stakes of plagiotropic (ortho) type plagiars were collected in three positions each (apical, median and basal), with only the plag cuttings being maintained with leaf. Three types of substrates (medium sand, charcoal rice bark and medium vermiculite) were evaluated and rooting was evaluated after 2 months. The cuttings used in rooting were evaluated for the presence of possible barriers to rhizogenesis, based on anatomical analysis and histochemical tests. Based on the results obtained, it was possible to verify the existence of biochemical and anatomical differences in the different cuttings used, being possible to constitute barriers to rhizogenesis.