Evaluation of Difference Leaf Cutting Shape and Pruning Techniques on Root and Shoot Production of Labisia pumila

Abstract

Labisia pumila or locally known as kacip fatimah, belongs to the family of Primulaceae. It possesses several medicinal properties such as pre and post-partum medication, anti-obesity, anti-aging and anti-microbial. In this paper, an attempt was made to discover the suitable leaf cutting shape and pruning technique to increase the yield and improve the quality of root and shoot production of L. pumila. Three different leaves cutting shape were tested (shape A, shape B and shape C) to study their effect on root production. The cuttings were distinguished by the shape of leaf midrib at the basal part. Whereas for pruning experiment, two pruning techniques were identified namely half cut and full cut. In half cut, the leaves petiole remained on the stem while in full cut, all leaves and petiole was removed from the stem. Leaf cutting from shape C rooted earlier (at week 5) than the others (at week 6). However, leaves cutting from shape A performed better in the number of root and root length. For pruning experiment, no significant difference was observed in the growth performance of L. pumila within the 12 weeks of observation. However, the full cut pruning technique produced new shoot earlier than half cut within the observation period.  An extended observation period is required to measure the growth and yield of this herbal plant. The output of this study will benefit the industries for a quick and effective method in order to produce mass planting materials for the species.