Research of the Most Suitable Conditions for the Replication of Lawsonia inermis L. in Togo

Propagation of Lawsonia inermis L. (henna), dye, medicinal and horticultural species was investigated in Togo. The main mode of multiplication of the multi-purposes species is sowing, but this propagation faces problems, particularly low germination rates, which hardly reach 20 %. Henna cuttings is possible, but this technique commonly used for low-cost vegetative propagation of plants is not well known. This study proposes a method of propagation by cutting stem segments of henna both in greenhouses and in vitro. In greenhouse, the cuttings concerned segments of identical size, i. e.20cm, but of different positions on the branch: proximal, median and distal cuttings. A batch of cuttings was pre-treated by soaking their base in water to initiate rhizogenesis before transfer to the substratum. In vitro, single-mode segments were cultured. The results indicate that the best recovery percentages were recorded for cuttings that had been in water, and more specifically for basal cuttings (100 % recovery), which were also the most efficient in terms of development: number of knots, leaves and lengthening of shoots formed. In vitro, microblocks showed high take-up and rooting percentages of nearly 70 %, as well as homogeneous, although slower, growth.