INVESTIGATIONS OF ALTERNATIVE IN VITRO ROOTING METHODS WITH RARE AND RECALCITRANT PLANTS

While in vitro regeneration and propagation is integral to modern plant breeding and horticultural production many problems still remain with development of efficient commercial in vitro propagation systems.
For example, in vitro root induction and development remains problematic with many woody species.
Recent research indicates benefits may be gained by departing from conventional (albeit convenient) agar-based in vitro systems for the rooting phase of micropropagation.
This study investigates agar medium pulse auxin treatments with root development in a non-agar medium with two critically endangered and difficult to root woody species.
A single auxin pulse treatment using indolebutyric acid (IBA) at 20 µM was sufficient to produce 100% rooting in G. dryandroides ssp. hirsuta with >16 roots per rooted shoot in a sand/perlite/peat root development medium (RDM). The best result with H. rutilans was >70% rooting after seven weeks with a pulse treatment of 10 µM NAA + 20 µM IBA or 30 µM NAA + 20 µM IBA in RDM. Developing and optimising alternative rooting treatments has the potential to significantly improve in vitro rooting of rare and recalcitrant plant species for conservation and horticultural development.

VI International Symposium on In Vitro Culture and Horticultural Breeding

E. Bunn

plant tissue culture, endangered plants, difficult to root species, ex situ conservation, restoration

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.829.41