IMPROVEMENT OF IN VITRO VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION TECHNIQUE IN TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM)

In tomato, the micropropagation method adopted for research purposes uses nodal and apical microcuttings from seedlings.
This simple procedure produces only one (primary) shoot per node.
Aiming to increase the number of axillary shoots per nodal microcutting, different media, with or without PGR, were tested.
Both IAA and zeatin were able to gradually induce the proliferation of 2 supernumerary axillary shoots.
The frequency of the “polyploid phenotype” trait was found ranging 9-14% only for the secondary and tertiary shoots proliferated from the microcuttings initially maintained on IAA-containing medium.
The results offer a key step in increasing micropropagation efficiency aiming to replace or avoid seed reproduction in the tomato, a species still lacking of an efficient somatic embryogenesis technique.

III International Symposium on Acclimatization and Establishment of Micropropagated Plants

G.P. Soressi, G. Cammareri, M.E. Picarella

tomato micropropagation, nodal microcuttings, axillary shoots, plant growth regulators (PGR), polyploid phenotype

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.812.38