Vol. 9, Special Issue 10, Part T (2025)

The present investigation was conducted under net house conditions at Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, to study the influence of plant growth regulators on the rooting behavior of dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) stem cuttings. The experiment consisted of ten treatments including control, Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at concentrations of 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, and 7000 ppm, humic acid (2000 ppm), humic + fulvic acid (2000 ppm), and seaweed extract (2000 ppm), arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Results revealed that IBA significantly enhanced root initiation, root number, and root length over control and biostimulant treatments. Among all treatments, IBA 7000 ppm (T₆) recorded the earliest root initiation (15.85 days), the highest average number of roots (10.79 per cutting), maximum root length (25.91 cm), and average root length (13.56 cm) at 90 DAS. The same treatment also produced the highest fresh (2.32 g) and dry (1.40 g) root weights, with a lower shoot-to-root ratio (5.39) and the maximum survival percentage (93.33%). Treatments with humic acid and seaweed extract showed moderate improvement compared to control. The study confirms that IBA application, particularly at 6000-7000 ppm, is most effective in promoting rooting performance, biomass accumulation, and survival of dragon fruit stem cuttings. The findings highlight the potential of auxin-based propagation as a reliable and cost-effective method for large-scale multiplication of dragon fruit planting material under protected cultivation in Bastar and similar agro-climatic regions.