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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Low NAA concentration appears effective in promoting roots and shoot in sago palm suckers under ex-vitro propagation

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11805
Submitted
16 September 2025
Published
08-09-2026 — Updated on 15-09-2026
Versions

Abstract

Sago palm is one of the few crops that are well-adapted in peatlands, while producing starch in substantial amount. It is primarily propagated using suckers. Small-sized suckers are commonly used for large-scale establishment because they are more abundantly available than larger ones. However, their survival rates often fall below 90 % during subsequent growth. In this paper, we aimed to study the use of NAA (naphthalene acetic acid) in sago palm suckers, emphasising the promotion of shoot and root during subsequent growth, as well as its effect on survival rate. The results showed that 1 ppm NAA successfully promoted the number of newly produced fronds, number of small and large roots and the total length of small roots, leading to higher shoot and root biomass than the control. This treatment slightly improved the survival rate (73.33 %), but it was below our expected result, exceeding 90 %. It was comparatively better than the control (66.67 %), even at 10 (60 %) and 50 (26.67 %) ppm. Application of 10 and 50 ppm NAA inhibited rooting activity, particularly the number of small roots and the total length of small and large roots, leading to a reduction in root biomass. These treatments did not even improve shoot biomass in comparison to the control. In conclusion, a low concentration of 1 ppm NAA appears effective in promoting the subsequent growth.

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