LIGHT AND IBA ON MICROCUTTINGS ROOTING OF Rabbiteye AND Southern Highbush BLUEBERRIES

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of indolebutyric acid (0 - control; 500; 1000; 1500 or 2000 mg L-1) on microcuttings rooting of different blueberries species (Southern H.ighbush 'O'Neal', Vaccinium sp., and the Rabbiteye 'Aliceblue', Vaccinium ashei Reade), associated with the effect of light on the initial phase of the microcuttings rooting (14 days of darkness or natural light). After the treatment with IBA, the microcuttings were put into polystyrene trays which contained as substrate perlite + Plantmax (R) (1:1) and maintained in greenhouse equipped with an intermittent mist system. In 60 days after the microcutting placement, it was evaluated the percentage of both rooted and surviving microcuttings, roots number, roots length and the percentage of callus formation. Microcuttings of 'O'Neal' and 'Aliceblue' root well without IBA application. The light presence on the initial phase of rooting does not affect the rooting capacity of the microcuttings. The treatment with darkness in the initial rooting phase reduces callus formation, promoting a decrease of microcuttings survival and rooting percentage.