Vegetative propagation of the underutilized oilseed crop sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.)

Underutilized crop species have the potential to aid in alleviating some of the challenges faced by the world today; reduced food security and malnutrition, land degradation, and climate change. The incorporation of little-known crops into sustainable agricultural systems provides new developmental opportunities and can increase the resilience of food production systems. However, measures need to be taken to address issues of variation in product quality and access to propagation material. Plukenetia volubilis L. (Euphorbiaceae) is an oleaginous liana native to the Amazon basin. It is of growing economic importance in the food, pharmaceutic, cosmetic and horticultural industries, however, commercial cultivars are lacking and the genetic variation within the species is very high. Furthermore, the majority of landraces of P. volubilis are susceptible to nematodes. In order to attain plants with a consistent quality and yield, vegetative propagation schemes are beneficial. Grafting is an especially favourable technique which enables the selection of pest and disease resistant rootstocks in combination with high-yielding or ornamentally valuable scions. Three different grafting techniques combined with three different systems of protection were tested on P. volubilis and evaluated according to the growth of the scions following grafting. The experiment was carried out under nursery conditions in the San Martín region of Peru, where P. volubilis is commonly cultivated. Regardless of the grafting technique, a 100% survival rate was found for plants covered with a plastic bag following grafting. This result may aid in the further domestication of P. volubilis by providing farmers with access to plant material of consistent quality and allowing the selection of pest resistant rootstocks in combination with high-yielding scions.