In vitro grafting of Japanese pear using tissue-cultured Pyrus betulaefolia rootstocks and P. pyrifolia ‘Osa-Nijisseiki’ scions

Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) is one of the most important horticultural crops in Japan, Korea, and other Asian countries.
Proliferation of Japanese pear by micropropagation is inefficient, root induction on agar medium is impractical, and acclimation of tissue-cultured plants is relatively unsuccessful.
To efficiently obtain acclimatized plants, we applied in vitro grafting of micropropagated scion shoot tips of ‘Osa-Nijisseiki’ onto tissue-cultured rootstocks of P. betulaefolia. The P. betulaefolia shoots exhibited scarce rooting on the plant growth regulator (PGR)-free agar medium.
In contrast, 35% of the P. betulaefolia shoots developed roots when grown on PGR-free sterilized vermiculite for 6 months.
After 6 months, 38% of micrografted scions survived, and the plants were moved to the greenhouse.
These results suggest that in vitro shoot tip grafting is a useful method for propagating Japanese pear.

XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): International Symposium on Micropropagation and In Vitro Techniques

H. Imanishi, H. Takahashi

Pyrus pyrifolia, scion, micropropagation, rooting, vermiculite, acclimation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1113.20