Discipline: Biology, Natural Sciences
Multiple shoot induction is a powerful tool for mass propagation of promising clones and is essential to asparagus due to its dioecious nature. Along this line an experimental research was conducted to determine the most effective plant growth regulators (PGRs) that would induce multiple shoot formation from asparagus nodal stem explants using agar-solidified Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. Four combinations of kinetin or benzyl amino purine (BAP) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design, served as treatments with hormone-free MS medium as control. Treatment means were compared using Duncan’s Multiple range Test (DMRT). Only medium supplemented with PGRs initiated shoots. Among the treatments, the medium containing 0.5 mg/L kinetin and 0.1 mg/L NAA, or 0.5 mg/L BAP and 0.1 mg/L NAA significantly induced the highest percentage (100%) shoots from cultured explants after 15.27 and 22.97 days, respectively. The same PGR combinations produced an average of 3-4 shoots per explants after eight weeks of culture. The medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L kinetin and 0.1 mg/L NAA produced longer shoots (4.64 cm) of which 10% produced roots. This PGR combination is recommended since it produced the best shoot attributes and likewise shortens the duration of in vitro culture.
ISSN 2244-1581 (Online)
ISSN 2244-1573 (Print)
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