IN VITRO PROPAGATION AND ROOTING OF PEAR CULTIVARS

The use of in vitro culture approaches constitutes an important tool for multiplication of selected pear cultivars.
The goal of this study was to develop a method for rapid in vitro shoot multiplication of pear cultivars (‘Beurré Alexandre Lucas’, ‘Milada’ and ‘Rote Williams’). These cultivars are important or prospective in the Czech pear-growing industry.
For the shoot multiplication, six MS media containing 1, 2 and 4 mg L^-1 BAP, 0.5 and 1 mg L^-1 TDZ or 10 mg L^-1 2iP were tested.
Selected pear cultivars were successfully established in vitro using shoot tips from grafted plants grown in a glasshouse and 0.15% HgCl₂ as a sterilization solution.
The number of newly formed shoots varied with the cultivar and concentration of plant growth regulator.
The relatively high levels of cytokinin BAP (4 mg L^-1) produced a high number of shoots in our experiments with pear cultivars ‘Beurré Alexandre Lucas’ (5.0±0.2) and ‘Milada’ (3.8±0.2). In contrary, the lowest multiplication rates were obtained on MS medium with 10 mg L^-1 2iP. Pear cultivar ‘Rote Williams’ produced shoots with abnormally narrow leaves on all media with BAP and TDZ. Omission of cytokinins and exposure to a high auxin concentration 1 mg L^-1 NAA was effective for root induction in the case of all tested cultivars.
Successful in vitro propagation, which can be carried during the dormant season, could provide an alternative means to produce disease-free stock material or stock material of particular cultivars for sanitation from viruses (chemotherapy, thermotherapy).

VIII International Symposium on In Vitro Culture and Horticultural Breeding

J. Sedlák, F. Paprstein

multiplication, proliferation rate, Pyrus communis, shoot, sterilization

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1083.17