Effect of Electric Current Intensity and Shock Durations of Cuttings on rooting ability of two Ficus plant species.

Abstract

This study was conducted during the period from 1^st Feb. to 1^st May 2025 in Horticulture department / Arbil / Iraqi Kurdistan region, amid to study the effect of species (Ficus benjamina, Ficus macrocarpa), electrical shock intensity (2, 4, and 8) Amp, and Electric shock duration (0, 1, 2, and 4) minutes on the rooting ability and vegetative growth of Ficus cuttings, the study was performed by use Random Complete Block Design (RCBD). The best results include, Ficus microcarpa exhibited superior vegetative growth, producing higher values for callus formation, root number, shoot number, leaf number, root dry matter, and Dry weight of shoot. whereas Ficus benjamina showed a slightly higher rooting percentage and longer shoots under specific treatments. Among the electrical shock intensities, 4 Amp was the most effective treatment, significantly enhancing rooting percentage, callus formation, root and shoot development, and leaf production. In contrast, the highest intensity (8 Amp) generally reduced growth and rooting performance. Shock duration also played a critical role, with 2 minutes consistently producing the best results for almost all studied parameters, while prolonged exposure for 4 minutes caused a significant decline in rooting and vegetative growth. In most cases, the combination of 4 Amp for 2 minutes for the two species produced the highest values for rooting and growth characteristics, whereas 8 Amp for 4 minutes resulted in the poorest performance. These findings indicate that moderate electrical stimulation for an optimal exposure period can effectively improve the propagation efficiency and growth performance of Ficus cuttings.