Comparison between cutting seedling of Jojoba (Simmodsia chinensis ) plant adapted in Jahrom in term of yield and cold resistance

Being a dioecious evergreen shrub native to the dry regions of South west of United states of America and the north of Mexico and Baja California, Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneider) commonly known as jojoba, is very tolerant to drought and heat. It produces seeds which contain about 50% liquid wax, a unique substance which is of great value in cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals, and in other goods as well as in heavy industries. Moreover, jojoba is a very important species in rehabilitation of degraded lands and in desertification control. To compare the performance and seed production of cuttings and seedlings of this species in the south of Iran with minimum irrigation, cuttings and seedlings of even age were planted in 1385 (2006) in Jahrom Research Station. Survival, growth in terms of height, crown diameter and number of stems, seed production etc., of the plants were yearly recorded. The survival of cuttings and seedlings after 5 years was %90 and %82, respectively. The effect of plant origin on the height, crown diameter and number of stems was highly significant (p0.001), while the effect ofsex and the interaction of sex/ origin was not significant. The growth factors in male seedlings were also significantly higher than those in other plants from different sex/origin. The average number of seeds in planted cuttings after 5 years was significantly (p0.05) higher than that of seedlings. The result of this experiment suggests that in establishing commonly irrigated gardens of jojoba for seed production, plants with similar genetic characteristics (cuttings, tissue culture, etc.) must be employed, while it is preferable to use seedlings in the rehabilitation of degraded lands as well as in 56desertification control, as seedlings maintan and provide much higher genetic diversity and more tolerance to arid and harsh climates due to their deep root systems. Key words: Jojoba, Simmondsia chinensis, cutting, seedling, seed production, liquid wax, oil, Fars Province, south of Iran.