PRELIMINARY RESEARCH RESULT ON BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CUTTING PROPAGATION OF Piper Auritum Kunth

Abstract

Piper auritum Kunth is a medicinal herb with a wide range of applications in medicine and food processing. Research results indicate that mature plants can reach a height of 1.5 to 3.5 meters. The leaves of Piper auritum Kunth are heart - shaped with a width ranging from 10 to 22 cm and a length ranging from 13 to 27 cm. The leaf apex is acuminate and curved with numerous veins running along the length of the leaf. The ecological characteristics of Piper auritum Kunth indicate a preference for humid environments, particularly along streams. Regarding its medicinal properties, Piper auritum Kunth contains various compounds with Safrole being the predominant component (89.52%), followed by Myrcene (2.78%), β-Caryophyllene (0.53%) and other unidentified compounds making up the remaining 7.17%. Cutting propagation results show that semi-hardwood cuttings have the highest survival and rooting rates, at 74.7% and 74.3%, respectively. Rooting indices increased over the experimental period, although different types of cuttings exhibited varying rooting indices. After 30 days, the rooting index of softwood cuttings was 1.11, semi-hardwood cuttings was 4.00 and hardwood cuttings was 2.88. After 60 days, the rooting index of softwood cuttings was 4.59, semi-hardwood cuttings was 19.73 and hardwood cuttings was 11.49. After 90 days, the rooting index of softwood cuttings was 7.44, semi-hardwood cuttings was 32.89 and hardwood cuttings was 20.08.