Influence of indole butyric acid on morphological traits of three plum Prunus domestica L. cultivars

Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) are chemical substances that influence various physiological processes in plants, including root and shoot growth, fruit development, and the regulation of other developmental activities¹. Five major classes of plant growth regulators have been identified auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene and abscisic acid. These regulators are synthesized in different parts of the plant at various stages of development². Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are essential for regulating cellular processes, including cell division, expansion, and differentiation. They also influence key physiological functions and developmental processes, such as root, shoot, bud, flower, and fruit formation³.

Previous studies on the effect of IBA indicate that different plum cultivars exhibit differential responses to different concentrations of the PGR. Wang et al.⁴ examined the impact of varying concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) on the budding success and shoot growth of different plum and peach varieties. Their study demonstrated dose-dependent effects, showing that higher IBA concentrations led to increased budding success and improved shoot growth. These results highlight the significance of optimizing IBA levels to enhance propagation success in plum and peach cultivation. Lalhal et al.⁵ revealed that plum treated with 2500 ppm of IBA had the maximum number of sprouts, sprout length and diameter, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of shoot but lower dead cuttings and un-sprouted cuttings. Firde et al.⁶ observed higher percentage of budding, root and shoot growth at 1000–4000 ppm of IBA except root and shoot dry weight of plum cultivar Mariana which indicated the growth promotory effects of IBA. Mozuombder et al.⁷ investigate the effects of various concentrations (1000–6000 ppm) of IBA on different growth and morphological attributes of plum which revealed that rooting and survivability, number of roots, length of roots and leaf production increased with the increasing levels of IBA concentration up to 5000 ppm. In a similar study,⁸ concluded that hardwood cuttings treatment with 2400 ppm indole-3-butyric acid for 1 to 2 min took less time to sprout with a higher percentage of sprouting, survival, average, number of branches, root number, root weight, root girth, root girth length, plant height, number of leaves and plant girth.

The plum (Prunus domestica), commonly known as the European plum, is an edible fruit that belongs to the Rosaceae family, the Prunus genus, and the Amygdaloideae subfamily. Although it is commercially cultivated in countries such as Japan and the United States, its origins trace back to China. Today, plums are widely grown in temperate regions around the globe. The cultivation of the Japanese plum began in Japan over 3000 years ago, later spreading to the United States and other parts of the world, including South Africa, Pakistan, Spain, Canada, Germany, and France⁹.

Plum, a significant stone fruit propagated through budding on rootstocks, faces numerous biotic and abiotic constraints. This study was conducted to examine the effect of indole butyric acid (IBA) on bud wood and to assess the responses of three plum cultivars, Fazle Manani, Santa Rosa, and Red Beauty concerning various morphological characteristics.

The study was conducted at the Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar, in October 2023. Three plum cultivars, Fazle manani, Santa rosa and Red beauty were selected as scion cultivars to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) on bud development across various growth stages. The objective was to assess the morphological responses of these cultivars under different IBA concentrations. The scion cultivars were grafted onto Mariana plum cuttings, which served as the rootstock in the experimental field at NIFA, Peshawar. The experiment was designed following a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two main factors: Plum Cultivars and IBA concentrations. The study was conducted with three replications, each comprising 15 plants per treatment, thus there were a total of 45 plants ensuring statistical reliability and precision in evaluating the effects of IBA on plum bud development.

Buds treatment with different concentrations of IBA

Bud wood was collected from three plum cultivars (Fazli manani, Santa rosa, and Red beauty) from trees grown in the NIFA Peshawar orchard during the first week of October 2023. The collected buds were transported to the laboratory and thoroughly washed under running clean tap water. Solutions of (IBA) were prepared at different concentrations of 300, 600, 900, and 1200 mg/L, along with a control treatment (water without IBA). These solutions were stored in sterilized 1-L flasks and maintained in a refrigerator at a temperature of 20–25 °C in the tissue culture laboratory at NIFA Peshawar. The collected buds were separately soaked in the four different IBA concentrations for 12 h. A control set, consisting of bud wood from the three plum cultivars, was used for budding onto rootstocks. Mariana plum cuttings from a local plum cultivar were planted in February 2023. The treated bud wood from the three plum cultivars was grafted onto the Mariana cuttings using the T-budding technique. The budding process was conducted in mid-October 2023, while data on bud sprouting and other morphological attributes were recorded from April to September 2024. For each treatment and cultivar, 45 mariana cuttings were used.

Ethical statement

The research conducted on the plants strictly followed established national and international procedures and guidelines. This adherence ensured that all experimental methods were ethically sound and scientifically valid.

Experimental design

The study was conducted using a two-factorial completely randomized block design (RCBD) with three replications. The first factor included bud wood from three distinct plum cultivars: Fazli manani, Santa rosa, and Red beauty. The second factor consisted of varying concentrations of indole butyric acid (IBA). Each treatment was replicated three times, with 15 plants per treatment within each replication. There were a total of 45 plants. The Mariana cuttings used in the experiment were obtained from a locally grown plum cultivar.

Data analysis

The collected data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. A two-factor ANOVA was employed to assess the effects of two independent variables on the dependent variables. The independent variables in this study were:

1. a.

   Various concentrations of Indole butyric acid (IBA)

2. b.

   Three plum cultivars

While dependent variables were the growth parameters.

Effects of IBA on days to sprouting

The responses of three different cultivar of plum to different concentrations of IBA in respect of days to sprouting to budding were presented in Fig. 1. The analysis shows the effects of concentration (Conc.), cultivars, and their interaction (*Conc. CV) on the dependent variable. Concentration has a highly significant impact (p = 0.0000), while cultivars also show a significant effect (p = 0.0442). The interaction between concentration and cultivars is highly significant (p = 0.0001), indicating a strong combined influence on the outcome (Annex 1). In cultivar Fazle manani the highest number of days to sprout (147) days was observed at 300 mg/L concentration. The lowest number of days to sprouting (132.67) days was recorded at 1200 mg/L concentrations, followed by (133) days at 600 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations also have some inhibitory effect on number of days to sprout was recorded as (146) days at 900 mg/L concentrations.

Influence of different IBA Concentrations on bud sprouting days In Three Plum Cultivars.

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In case of Santa rosa the highest number of days to sprouting (151.67) days was recorded at 900 mg/L concentrations, followed by (139.33) days at 600 mg/L concentrations. The lowest number of days to sprouting (132.00) days was observed at 1200 mg/L concentrations, followed by (134.00) days at 300 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations 600 mg/L also have some inhibitory effects and number of days to sprouting recorded is (139.33) days.

The highest number of days to sprouting (142) days in plum cultivar Red beauty was recorded at concentrations 900 mg/L, followed by (140.33) at concentrations 1200 mg/L. The lowest number of days to sprouting (129.33) was observed at concentrations 600 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations 300 mg/L also have some inhibitory effect and revealed (140) days for sprouting.

Effects of IBA on plant height

The responses of different cultivars of plum to various concentration of IBA were recorded in respect of plant height presented in Fig. 2. The analysis of plant height indicates that concentration (Conc.) has a significant effect (p = 0.0474), while varieties have a highly significant impact (p = 0.0001). Additionally, the interaction between concentration and varieties (*Conc.Var) is also highly significant (p = 0.0008), suggesting a strong combined influence on plant height (Annex 1). In Fazli manani maximum plant budding height (93 cm) was observed at 600 mg/L concentrations, followed by (91 cm) at 900 mg/L concentrations. The lowest plant height (72.17 cm) was recorded at control. The other concentrations 1200 mg/L also have stimulatory effect and plant (89 cm) was recorded, while the 300 mg/L concentrations have slightly inhibitory effect on the plant height (62.67 cm) was observed.

Influence of different IBA Concentrations on plant height in Three Plum Cultivars.

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In case of plum cultivar Santa rosa the response to various concentrations of IBA in respect of plant height was recorded. The maximum plant height (124.37 cm) was recorded at concentrations 300 mg/L, followed by (124 cm) at 600 mg/L concentrations. The lowest plant height (2.00 cm) was observed at 1200 mg/L concentrations followed by (94 cm).

In plum cultivar Red beauty, the highest plant height (131 cm) was recorded at 1200 mg/L concentration, followed by (116 cm) at 300 mg/L concentration. The lowest plant height (69.63 cm) was observed at 900 mg/L concentration. The other concentrations also have stimulatory effects and revealed that (110.33) cm plant height was observed at 600 mg/L concentration.

Effects of IBA on number of branches per budding

The responses of different plum cultivar to various concentration of IBA were recorded in respect of number of branches per budding presented in Fig. 3. The analysis shows that concentration (Conc.) has a highly significant effect (p = 0.0002), while Varieties do not have a significant impact (p = 0.5174). However, the interaction between concentration and varieties (*Conc.Var) is highly significant (p = 0.0000), indicating a strong combined influence on the outcome (Annex 1). In plum cultivar Fazali manani the highest number of branches per budding (14.73) branches were observed at 900 mg/L concentrations, followed by (7.40) branches at 300 mg/L concentrations. The lowest number of branches per budding (5.00) branches was observed at 1200 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations 600 mg/L have same effect to the control revealed (6.0) branches and (6.10) branches respectively.

Influence of different IBA Concentrations on number of branches per budding in Three Plum Cultivars.

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In plum cultivar Santa rosa the responses to graded concentration of IBA in respect of number of branches per budding was recorded. The highest number of branches per budding (14.23) was observed at 300 mg/L concentrations, followed by (9.43) at 900 mg/L concentrations. The lowest number of branches (5.00) was observed at 1200 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations 600 mg/L show similar results with controlled revealed (6.33) number of branches and (6.87) respectively.

The other plum cultivar Red beauty also showed responses to the various concentration of IBA in respect of number of branches per budding. The highest number of branches per budding (16.00) was recorded at 1200 mg/L concentrations, followed by (10.17) branches per budding at 300 mg/L concentrations. The lowest number of branches per budding (2.40) was recorded at control concentrations. The other concentrations 600 mg/L and 900 mg/L concentrations also showed stimulatory effect on number of branches observed are (5.00) and (3.17) respectively.

Effect of IBA on percent sprouting of buds

The responses of different plum cultivars to various concentration of IBA in respect to percent sprouting of buds were presented in Fig. 4. The analysis indicates that concentration (Conc.) has a marginal effect (p = 0.0614), while varieties do not show a significant impact (p = 0.5820). However, the interaction between concentration and varieties (*Conc.Var) is highly significant (p = 0.0018), suggesting a strong combined influence on the outcome (Annex 1). In plum cultivar Fazli manani the highest buds sprouting percentage (52%) was observed at control. The lowest bud sprouting percentage (24.00%) was recorded at 900 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations 300, 600 and 1200 mg/L also have some inhibitory effect on percent bud sprouting revealed (29%), (36.67%) and (38%) respectively.

Influence of different IBA Concentrations on percent sprouting of budding in Three Plum Cultivars.

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The other plum cultivar Santa rosa also showed responses to various concentrations to IBA in respect of bud’s percent sprouting. Maximum percent buds sprouting (48%) was recorded at 300 mg/L concentrations, followed by (45%) at 900 mg/L concentrations. The lowest percent sprouting of buds (30%) was observed at 600 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations1200 mg/L also has some stimulatory effect and revealed (38%) buds sprouting.

The other plum cultivar Red beauty also showed responses to the various concentration of IBA in respect of percent sprouting of buds. The highest percent of bud sprouting (50.33%) was recorded at 900 mg/L concentrations. The lowest percent bud sprouting (22%) was recorded at 300 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations 600 mg/L and 1200 mg/L also have some inhibitory effects revealed (37%) and (34.87%) respectively.

Effect of IBA on leaves number per budding

The responses of different plum cultivars to various concentration of IBA in respect to leaves number per budding were observed as shown in the Fig. 5. The analysis of leaves number per budding shows that concentration (Conc.) (p = 0.4325) and varieties (p = 0.1446) do not have significant effects. However, the interaction between concentration and varieties (*Conc.Var) is marginally significant (p = 0.0645), indicating a potential combined influence (Annex 1). In plum cultivar Fazle manani the highest leaves number per budding (135.00) was observed at 900 mg/L concentrations, followed by 104 leaves per budding at 1200 mg/L concentrations. The lowest number of leaves per budding (82.50) was observed at 300 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations control and 600 mg/L concentrations have similar effect on number of leaves per budding.

Influence of different IBA Concentrations on leaves number per budding in Three Plum Cultivars.

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The other plum cultivar Santa rosa also showed various responses to different concentration of IBA in respect to number of leaves per budding. The highest number of leaves per budding (136.83) was observed at control. The lowest number of leaves per budding (105.00) was observed at 900 mg/L concentrations. The other concentrations 300, 600 and 1200 mg/L concentrations have moderate effect on number of leaves per budding revealed (133.87), (111.50) and (106.50) respectively.

The plum cultivar Red beauty showed responses to various concentration of IBA in respect of number of leaves per budding. The highest number of leaves per budding (136.00) was recorded at 300 mg/L concentrations. The lowest number of leaves per budding (74.33) was observed at control. The other concentrations 600, 900 and 1200 mg/L also have stimulatory effect on the number of leaves per budding and revealed (77.50), (88.83) and (123.00) respectively.

Effect of IBA on budding diameter

The responses of different plum cultivars to various concentration of IBA in terms of budding diameter were presented in the Fig. 6. The analysis indicates that concentration (Conc.), varieties, and their interaction (*Conc. Var) have no significant effect, with p-values of 0.5981, 0.1945, and 0.3993, respectively. This suggests that neither factor nor their combination meaningfully influences the outcome (Annex 1). In Fazli manani maximum budding diameter (8.33 cm) was observed at 1200 mg/L concentrations. The lowest budding diameter (5.63 cm) was observed at control. The other concentrations 300 mg/L, 600 mg/L and 900 mg/L concentrations have stimulatory effect on budding diameter resulting in (6.20 cm), (7.00 cm) and (7.73 cm) respectively.

Influence of different IBA Concentrations on budding diameter in mm in Three Plum Cultivars.

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In plum cultivar Santa rosa the effect of IBA also resulted variable budding diameter at different dose concentrations. The maximum budding diameter (9.13 cm) was recorded at 600 mg/L concentrations. The lowest budding diameter (6.33 cm) was observed at 1200 mg/L concentrations. The 300 mg/L concentrations also stimulatory effects and revealed (8.50 cm) budding diameter. Control and 900 mg/L concentrations have similar effects and recorded as (7.67 cm).

In plum cultivar Red beauty, the maximum budding diameter (7.80 cm) was recorded at 300 mg/L concentrations of IBA. The lowest budding diameter (6.00 cm) was observed at control. Other concentrations 600, 900 and 1200 mg/L had mild stimulatory effects on budding diameter resulting in (6.67 cm), (6.80 cm) and (6.63 cm) respectively. The data revealed that 300 mg/L dose of IBA was the most effective dose in enhancing budding diameter to a significant extent when compared to control.

Effect of different concentrations of IBA on internode length

The response of three different plum cultivars to varying concentrations of IBA in terms of internode bud length is presented in Fig. 7. The analysis of internode budding length shows that concentration (Conc.), varieties, and their interaction (*Conc. Var) do not have a significant effect, with p-values of 0.7074, 0.3024, and 0.1353, respectively. This indicates that neither factor nor their combination significantly influences internode budding length (Annex 1). In the Fazle Manani cultivar, the maximum internode bud length (2.03 cm) was recorded at a concentration of 300 mg/L, while the minimum length (1.77 cm) was observed at 1200 mg/L. Intermediate concentrations of 600 and 900 mg/L exhibited a slight stimulatory effect, resulting in internode bud lengths of 1.87 cm and 1.83 cm, respectively.

Influence of different IBA Concentrations on internode length of buds in Three Plum Cultivars.

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The Santa cultivar exhibited varying responses to different concentrations of IBA in terms of internode bud length. The maximum internode bud length (2.00 cm) was recorded at 900 mg/L, while the minimum (1.63 cm) was observed at 300 mg/L. Additionally, concentrations of 600 and 1200 mg/L had a slight stimulatory effect, resulting in internode bud lengths of 1.97 cm and 1.93 cm, respectively.

In the Red beauty cultivar, the longest internode bud length (2.00 cm) was observed under control conditions and at 600 mg/L. The shortest internode bud length (1.83 cm) was recorded at 1200 mg/L. Additionally, concentrations of 300 and 900 mg/L exhibited a slight inhibitory effect, resulting in an internode bud length of 1.97 cm at both concentrations.

The application of Indole Butyric Acid (IBA) significantly enhanced the growth and establishment of plum cultivars across various developmental stages. As shown in Fig. 8, IBA-treated buds initiated sprouting effectively in the nursery (Fig. 8A), highlighting the role of exogenous auxin in stimulating early bud activity. Treated plants also showed improved vegetative growth compared to the control (Fig. 8B). Moreover, rooted plants developed strong root systems and were well-prepared for transplantation (Fig. 8C), indicating increased hardiness. In the orchard, these plants maintained healthy bud sprouting under field conditions (Fig. 8D). Overall, IBA application proved effective in enhancing propagation and establishment of plum cultivars.

The response of budded plum cultivars to different IBA concentrations by [Kaleem Ullah: Kaleem133_botany@yahoo.com].

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The results indicate that the sprouting time of budded plants in the three plum cultivars, Fazle Manani, Santa Rosa, and Red Beauty varied in response to different concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Fazle Manani and Red Beauty generally exhibited a reduction in sprouting time with increasing IBA concentrations, while Santa rosa displayed inconsistent responses across treatments.

Fazle Manani showed a consistent decline in sprouting time as the IBA concentration increased, reducing from 143.00 days in the control to 132.67 days at 1200 mg/L graded concentrations of IBA. In contrast, Santa rosa exhibited a slight decrease in sprouting time at 300 mg/L concentrations of IBA, followed by an increase at 600 and 900 mg/L, with sprouting time stabilizing at 1200 mg/L. Red beauty demonstrated a reduction in sprouting time at 600 mg/L IBA but an increase at 900 mg/L concentrations of IBA, with sprouting time at 1200 mg/L returning to levels similar to the control.

Different cultivars exhibited different responses to various concentrations of IBA. In Fazle manani, the budding height decreased from (72.17 cm) observed at control treatment to 62.67 cm at 300 mg/L concentration of IBA, and then it slightly decreased further at 600, 900, and 1200 mg/L IBA concentrations, respectively. In Santa rosa, budding height increased from (107.83 cm) to (124.37 cm) at 300 IBA dose, and then slightly decreased at 600 mg/L IBA concentrations and further decreased at 900 mg/L IBA concentrations. However, it showed a significant decrease to (82.00 cm) at 1200 mg/L concentrations of IBA.In cultivar Red beauty, budding height was not significantly affected at concentrations below 900 mg/L concentration. It remained relatively stable at (107.27 cm) and (116.00 cm) for control and 300 mg/L IBA concentrations, respectively. It then slightly decreased at 600 mg/L IBA concentrations, significantly decreased at 900 mg/L IBA concentrations, but increased significantly to 131.00 cm at 1200 mg/L IBA concentrations.

The responses of three plum cultivars to different concentrations of IBA were different in terms of their number of branches per budding. In plum cultivar Fazle manani, showed an increase at 300 mg/L IBA concentration and then decreased at 600 mg/L concentration of IBA. The number of branches significantly increased at 900 mg/L concentrations of IBA and then decreased again at 1200 mg/L concentrations of IBA. Plum cultivar Santa rosa revealed a significant increase in the number of branches per budding from control to 300 mg/L concentrations of IBA. However, it showed a slight decrease at 600 mg/L concentrations and then remained relatively stable at 900 and 1200 mg/L concentrations of IBA. The number of branches in Red beauty was low control plots however; they increased at 300 mg/L concentrations, and then decreased at 600 mg/L concentrations. It showed a further decrease at 900 mg/L concentrations but had a significant increase at 1200 mg/L concentrations of IBA.

Like other growth parameters, the percent sprouting of budding in three cultivars showed variations in response to different concentration of IBA. The sprouting percentage in Fazle manani showed a decrease from (52.00% to 24.67%) at 900 mg/L concentrations of IBA. The other concentrations had moderate effects on the sprouting percent of budding. In Santa rosa the percent sprouting increase from (36.33%) recorded at control to (48.00%) at 300 mg/L concentrations of IBA, followed by a slight decrease at other concentrations. In Red beauty, the sprouting percentage was comparatively lower that the other two cultivars, with significantly lower sprouting percentage (22.00%) at 300 mg/L concentration and significantly high 50.33 at 900 mg/L concentrations of IBA.

The number of leaves per budding in Fazle manani showed a decrease from (91.00) leaves per budding in control to (82.50) leaves per budding at 300 mg/L concentrations of IBA. Number of leaves increased at 600 mg/L concentrations of IBA and reached to a maximum (135.00) leaves per budding at 900 mg/L concentrations of IBA with a decreased (104.00) leaves per budding at 1200 mg/L concentrations. Santa rosa revealed a decrease from (136.83) leaves per budding recorded in control to (105.00) leaves per budding at 900 mg/L concentration of IBA. The other concentrations had slight decreasing effect on the studied parameter. Red beauty showed a lower number of leaves per budding compared to the other two cultivars, ranging from (74.33) leaves to (136.00) leaves. The highest number of leaves per budding (136.00) was recorded at 300 mg/L concentration of IBA.

The budding diameter of Fazle manani increased from (5.63 mm) as observed in control to a maximum of (8.33 mm) at 1200 mg/L concentrations of IBA, with slight variation at other concentrations of IBA. In Santa rosa, the budding diameter increased from (7.67 mm) recorded in control plots to significantly highest budding diameter (9.13 mm) at 600 concentrations of IBA. Red beauty also showed slight variations in the budding diameter in response to different concentrations of IBA, however, these variations were not significantly different from control and were recorded in the range between 6.00 mm and (7.80 mm).

The internode length of the bud in cultivar Fazle manani had a significantly higher internode length of (2.03 mm) at 300 mg/L concentrations while the minimum internode length (1.77 mm) was recorded at 1200 mg/L concentration. Other concentrations had no effect on the parameter. Santa rosa exhibited the lowest internode length of the bud (1.63 mm) at 300 mg/L concentrations while significantly higher internode length at 900 mg/L concentrations. Other concentrations revealed similar results to control treatment. In Red beauty, the internode bud length was maximum (2.00 mm) in control and IBA dose 600 mg/L concentrations while the other concentrations had inhibitory effects on internode bud length. The lowest internode length (1.87 mm) was observed at 1200 mg/L concentrations of IBA.

The findings of this study coincide with previous study of Kumari et al.¹⁰ which reported that IBA had stimulatory effect on germination and days to sprouting of Jatropha Curcus. The results also agree with the findings of Narula and Kaur¹¹ who revealed the lower concentrations of IBA (155 mg/L) had stimulatory effect on the sprouting of plum (cultivar Kala). In another study, Kaur¹² documented those days to sprouting in peach cultivar Shan-e-Punjab significantly decreased in response to 3000 mg/L concentrations of IBA. The stimulatory responses of plum cultivars may be assigned to positive interaction of the applied IBA dose with the genes controlling sprouting.

These findings align closely with the study by Kaur¹², who reported an increase in the budding height of Prunus persica at specific IBA concentrations. However, they contradict the results of Ullah et al.¹³, who observed a decrease in the budding height of marigold at an IBA concentration of 400 mg/L. The differential response of plant species to IBA can be attributed to variations in genetic makeup. Additionally, these results are consistent with the findings of Jawanda et al.¹⁴, who reported that IBA concentrations ranging from 50 to 200 mg/L had a stimulatory effect on shoot length and other growth parameters in Japanese plum. Lee et al.¹⁵ (2019) further support this, stating that plant growth regulators positively influence plant growth by inducing genetic modifications and promoting cell expansion, ultimately leading to enhanced budding height.

Study conducted by Jawanda et al.¹⁴ confirms the results of the present study. They reported increased number of branches per cutting in plum at 200 mg/L concentrations of IBA. The results of Narula and Kaur¹¹ are like the results of this study which reported increased number of branches in plum cultivar Kala Amritsari at 2000 mg/L concentrations of IBA. It also agrees with the findings of Kaur¹² who reported that IBA concentration 3000 mg/L significantly increased the number of branches per budding in peach.

Kaur¹⁶ reported highest sprouting percentage (98.24%) in Florida guard peach (Prunus persica) treated with 3000 mg/L concentrations of IBA which strongly agrees with the results of the present study. Similar results were also obtained by Negi and Upadhyay¹⁷ who reported that plum cultivars Santa rosa, Mariposa and frontier treated with 5000 mg/L concentration of IBA resulted in enhanced grafting success (90.19%) which confirms the results of this study. Findings of the current study also partially agree with the results of Shukla et al.¹⁸ who documented increased sprouting percentage (78.33–78.80%) in peach cv. Saharanpur Prabha treated with 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg/L concentrations of IBA.

These findings contradict those of Lalhal et al.⁵, who reported an increased number of leaves in the Santa Rosa plum cultivar treated with an IBA concentration of 2500 mg/L. The discrepancies between this study and the results of Lalhal et al.⁵ may be attributed to differences in IBA dosage. Additionally, the findings of this study are inconsistent with those of Ref.^8,18, who observed a significant increase in the number of leaves in peach at IBA concentrations of 3000 mg/L and 4500 mg/L, respectively. These variations could be due to differences in plant species and the specific concentrations of IBA applied.

Confirmatory results were obtained by Shukla et al.¹⁸ who treated peach buds with 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg/L concentrations of IBA which significantly increased the budding diameter of tested peach (2.58–2.66 cm). Results also agree with the findings of^12,16 and Shahab et al.¹⁹ (2013) who documented increased budding diameter in peach and Alstonia respectively treated with various concentrations of IBA.

The study partially agrees with the findings of Lalhal et al.⁵ who documented a reduced internode buds length in Plum cultivar Santa rosa treated with 2500 mg/L concentrations of IBA but disagree with the reported study in case of cultivars Fazle manani and Red beauty which exhibited higher internode buds lengths in the present study. The differences may be due to different genetic makeup of different cultivars, their responses to IBA and differences in concentrations. Bisht et al.²⁰ reported improved internode buds length and other growth parameters in plum treated with different concentrations (1000–7500 mg/L) which support the findings of this study. The results are also partially in line with the findings of Narula and Kaur¹¹ who documented that 2000 mg/L concentration of IBA had stimulatory effects on shoot diameter of Plum cultivar Kala Amritsari. In Vitis vinifera, promising results were obtained for improved internode length and other growth characteristics in response to 6000 mg/L concentrations of IBA which agrees with the findings of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Botany, Islamia College University, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan

   Kaleem Ullah & Samin Jan

2. Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, 11671, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   Heba G. Mohamed

3. Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan

   Roshan Zamir

4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

   Muhammad Nasir Bashir

5. Department of mechanical engineering, CEME college, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

   Muhammad Nasir Bashir

Contributions

The original manuscript was drafted by K.U., S.J., and H.G.M., with the graphical representation carried out by them as well. R.Z. and K.U. conceptualized the core research problem and conducted the data analysis. K.U. and R.Z. were responsible for rigorously validating the results, restructuring the manuscript, and overseeing the funding acquisition process. M.N.B. contributed to data interpretation and participated in the final editing of the manuscript. All authors thoroughly reviewed and approved the final draft prior to submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heba G. Mohamed.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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