New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts

Plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis of jacket plum (Pappeacapensi)

Simon A. Mng’omba^1,2
Elsa S. du Toit^1,*
Festus K. Akinnifesi²

¹ Department of Plant Production and Soil Science
Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
University of Pretoria
0002 Pretoria, South Africa
email: elsa.dutoit@up.ac.za
² World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
Agroforestry Programme
Southern African Region
Chitedze Research Station
P. O. Box 30798
Lilongwe 3, Malawi

Abstract The study was undertaken to identify an effective culture growing system for mass multiplication of jacket plum (Pappeacapensis) through somatic embryogenesis. Calli derived from leaf sections were transferred onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with different supplements. The most effective medium for callus induction was MS supplemented with 0.1 mg litre–1 thidiazuron (TDZ) alone or with 0.1 mg litre–1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or a combination of 1.0 mg litre–1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.2 mg litre–1 benzylaminopurine (BAP). Light exposure promoted embryo induction. Three-quarter strength MS medium supplemented with 0.05 mg litre^–1 TDZ and 0.3 mg litre^–1 casein hydrolysate (CH) was effective for embryo germination and the most effective culture medium for plantlet conversion was three-quarter strength MS supplemented with 0.2 mg litre^–1 BAP and 0.3 mg litre^–1 CH. There was 60% survival of plants under a mist propagation chamber. The study shows that it is possible to improve P. capensis somatic embryogenesis through manipulation of some culture medium constituents and incubation conditions.

Keywords embryogenic callus; germination; plantlet conversion; somatic embryo

New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2008, Vol. 36: 137–144
0014–0671/08/3602–0137 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2008
*Author for correspondence.H07063; Online publication date 24 June 2008
Received 12 June 2007; accepted 19 May 2008

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