New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

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Short communication

In vitro propagation of the PR 204/84 (Prunus persica x P. amygdalus) rootstock: axillary shoot production and rhizogenesis

Stavros Fotopoulos
Thomas E. Sotiropoulos

National Agricultural Research Foundation
Pomology Institute
P.O. Box 122
59200 Naoussa, Greece
email: thosotir@alfanet.gr

Abstract  PR 204/84 rootstock (peach x almond) is a promising alternative to GF 677 rootstock for peach (Prunus persica) trees. The present study was the first attempt for its micropropagation. Research was carried out regarding axillary shoot production and root initiation responses. 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) at concentrations 2 and 4 µM resulted in a high yield of axillary shoots in the proliferation stage whereas 6-(g, g-dimethylallylamine) purine (2-iP) promoted only single shoots. By increasing BAP concentration from 0.4 to 8 µM, inhibition of shoot growth was observed. By increasing the levels of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and a-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) from 0.05 to 5 µM, a decrease of the proliferation rate of PR 204/84 at all BAP concentrations was observed. The highest shoot length was observed in the medium containing 4 µM BAP plus 5 µM IBA but it was not significantly different than 8 µM BAP plus 5µM NAA. Based on shoot proliferation, shoot length and overall appearance, the best media of the axillary shoot production study were those with 2 and 4 µM BAP and the absence of auxins in the medium. After 24 days in culture, excellent rooting of shoots (100%) was recorded on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media (full strength) containing 5 and 10 µM IBA and MS media (half strength) containing 2.5, 5, and 10 µM IBA. Mean length of roots was not significantly affected by IBA and mineral concentration of the culture media. From the results it was concluded that reducing mineral concentration of MS medium to half the normal value increased rooting percentage when IBA concentration was 2.5 µM, and mean root number when IBA concentration was 2.5 and 5 µM. The survival rate of plantlets surviving ex vitro in the greenhouse was 84%.

Keywords  callus initiation; indol-3-butyric acid; Prunus micropropagation; shoot elongation; 6-benzylaminopurine

H04044; Online publication date 8 March 2005 Received 26 April 2004; accepted 21 October 2004
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2005, Vol. 33: 75–79
0014-0671/05/3301-0075 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005

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