Preserving the Heritage "Kapok Tree" [Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.] of the University of the Philippines through Vegetative Propagation

A Ceiba pentandra at the University of the Philippines Los Baños was a centennial tree that was felled as it posed a threat to the community. To preserve its historical value and sustain its lineage, a low-cost technique of vegetative propagation was undertaken by determining the effect of varying leaf numbers (one, two, and three leaves) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) doses (0, 100, and 500 ppm). Results of the analysis of variance revealed significant (P = 0.012) to highly significant (P < 0.001) variations in all rooting parameters after 2 wk, whereas significant (P = 0.037) only in terms of shoot length after 3 and 4 wk. Meanwhile, significant (P = 0.002) variations due to IBA were observed only on shoot length after 2 wk but not after 3 and 4 wk. A comparison of the means revealed the superiority of cuttings with the greatest number (3) of leaves. Furthermore, root traits and cutting sizes associations obtained positive and significant (r2 = 0.17–0.98, P < 0.0001). Both the weakest and strongest associations were detected in cuttings after 2 wk, whereas increasing percentages of the highest, positive, and significant correlations (r2 = 0.80–0.98, P < 0.0001) were observed from Weeks 2–4, suggesting that the effect of varying carbohydrate may be detected after 2 wk and tend to be more pronounced the longer they stayed in the improvised rooting chamber.