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Archives (2001)
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Mass producing the fragrant Kamuning
by Junelyn S. de la Rosa
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October-December
2001
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Kamuning or Murraya paniculata
is a small tree that is famous for its fragrant white flowers
that smell like jasmine. Native to Southeast Asia, China and
the Malay peninsula, kamuning or Orange Jasmine has
pear-shaped leaflets that are dark green and glossy. After
each blooming period, its white blossoms turn into orange
and scarlet fruits.
 Before,
kamuning was usually planted as a hedge or accent shrub
for landscaping purposes. Today, its glossy evergreen foliage
is more popular as fillers in flower arrangements. Recent
surveys show that fillers now occupy a substantial share in
the cutflower business. A recent survey says that cut foliage
or fillers make up almost a third of bouquets compared to
5% 10 years ago. To meet the increasing demand for foliage
plants, the Institute of Plant Breeding of the University
of the Philippines at Los Baños (IPB-UPLB) has identified
techniques to mass produce kamuning successfully. There
are two ways to mass propagate kamuning, either through
stem cuttings or seeds.
Propagation by
stem cuttings
- Preparation of stem cuttings
Secure healthy and woody 13-20 cm long stem cuttings. Remove
5-8 cm of the terminal stem to allow faster rooting. Choose
cuttings with mature leaves.
Place the newly harvested cuttings in polyethylene plastic
bags then sprinkle with water to prevent from drying. Seal
the bags with rubber bands.
- The kulob method
Kamuning stem cuttings root faster in the kulob
method wherein the whole system is enclosed in a polypropylene
plastic bag. This method helps to maintain the humidity needed
to initiate rooting. For extensive rooting, use appropriate
media and rooting hormones. The steps involved in this method
are as follows:
- Prepare rooting medium composed of an equal mixture
combination of sand and coirdust. Drench with 1 tbsp fungicide
dissolved in 4 liters of water.
- Dip cuttings either in "quick root powder"
or in 50 ppm alpha napthalene acetic acid (ANAA) or Hormex
for 30 minutes.
- Stick the cuttings, 4 cm deep, in a 6x6x11 plastic bag
containing the medium. Use bigger pots if more cuttings
will be planted. A maximum of 4-6 cuttings can be planted
in a 6x6x11 plastic pot.
- Enclose the whole system with a polypropylene plastic
bag and seal with rubber bands.
- Place the kulob plants under shade.
- Transplanting
After 6-8 weeks, roots are already established. Transplant
rooted cuttings as follows:
- Transplant individually in 6x6x11 plastic bags containing
either an equal mixture of sand and coir dust or soil
and coir dust.
- Acclimatize transplanted plants under partial shade
for one week before exposing them to full sunlight. Well-established
kamuning plants can tolerate both partial shade and full
sunlight conditions.
- After one week, apply complete fertilizer (14-14-14)
at 2 tbsp in 4 liters of water. Repeat every other week.
Apply urea (46-0-0) at 1 tbsp. dissolved in 4 liters of
water once a month. Slow release fertilizer (17-17-17)
could be applied once in every three months. Plants that
are transplanted should not be fertilized too often.
- Water the plants daily during the dry season and minimally
during the rainy season.
Propagation by seeds
- Preparation of seeds
- Harvest ripened seeds from the mother plant. Ripe seeds
may be orange/red orange to deep red depending on the
variety or strain of the plant.
- Soak the seeds in water for 3 days . After 3 days, remove
the pulp of the seeds and wash with clean water.
- Air-dry the seeds for a few hours before sowing.
- Germination
- Sow the seeds by spreading them evenly in a polyethylene
bag containing an equal combination of either the following
mixture: sand + coconut coirdust or burnt ricehull + sawdust.
- Cover the seeds with 1 cm layer of the medium and place
in a shaded area.
- Water the seeds only when the surface of the medium
appears dry.
- Transplanting
- Kamuning seeds usually germinate 2-8 weeks after sowing.
Transplant seedlings one week after germination or when
the first pair of leaves emerges.
- Transplant individually in a 2.5x2.5x5 plastic bag containing
an equal combination of any of the following medium:
- garden soil + coirdust
- sand + coirdust
- burnt ricehull + coirdust.
- Keep the newly transplanted plants in the shade for
at least one month. Kamuning seedlings grow best under
partial shade. Direct sunlight causes yellowing and scorching
of the leaves.
- Apply complete fertilizer (14-14-14) two weeks after
germination at 1 tbsp/4 L of water. Repeat every other
week. Urea (46-0-0) at 1 tbsp/4 L of water should also
be applied once a month.
- Water the plants daily during the dry season and minimally
during the rainy season.
(For more information, please contact: Dr.
Joy Eusebio of the Crops Research Division, PCCARD Los Baños
, Laguna at tel no. 049 536-0014 to 536-0020.) More Articles:
Vol. 3 No. 4 October-December 2001
»»
Outstanding technologies identified in nat'l R&D week
»» Thailand,
Philippines convene for agri cooperation
»»
Prospects for the ornamental industry in the new millennium
»» UPLB
scientists develop new hybrids of Philippine ornamentals
»» New management
techniques for exportable foliage plants
»» In
focus: a date with the "king of cut flowers"
»» Brighten
your homes with aglaonema
»» King
in red and green
»» Cashing
in with the 'lucky bamboo'
»» Turfgrasses:
the preferred ground cover
»» Catching
the invisible enemy with ELISA
»» Grow
dracaena godseffiana the easy way
»» Bromeliads:
the exotic plant
»» Wag that
fish-tail fern
»» Mass
propagating the 'doņas' through kulob system
»» Beauveria
mold bioinsecticide: safer control against orchid pests
»» Orchids
and mycorrhiza: a lesson from the wild
»» Controlling
white rust in chrysanthemums
»» Ways to
enhance palm seed germination
»» Prolonging
the vase life of cut flowers with ethylene adsorbent and Florafresh
»»
Mass producing the fragrant kamuning
»» The
national RDE program for ornamental crops
»» GMA
presents 2001 Gawad Saka awards
[More
2001 Articles]
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