Acacia mearnsii pyroligneous acid as a promoter of rooting and quality of rooted cuttings of subtropical Eucalyptus

The pyroligneous acid of Acacia mearnsii enhanced the rooting, promoted higher carbon allocation and quality of rooted cuttings representing a novel, natural input for subtropical Eucalyptus clone production. The development of strategies aimed at optimizing the clonal propagation of Eucalyptus species, especially those that are difficult to root, is of great importance. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying different concentrations of the pyroligneous acid (PA) of Acacia mearnsii De Wild, through foliar spraying, on mini-cuttings of E. benthamii, E. dunnii, and the hybrid, E. urophylla × E. dunnii, during the summer and winter periods in southern Brazil. The experiments were carried out in a greenhouse in a factorial scheme, testing four PA concentrations (0 [control], 2