THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT CARBON-SOURCES ON CALLUS FORMATION AND SHOOT PROLIFERATION OF CHICORY (CICHORIUM-INTYBUS L VAR SATIVUM)

The genus Cichorium, a member of the economically important Asteraceae family, is divided into two species, Cichorium intybus L. and Cichori um endivia L.. Cichorium intybus L. var. sativum is a potential new in dustrial crop for the production of inulin and fructose from its roots . Chicory leaf vein segments of the cultivar ''Cassel'' were plated on a Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0,26 mg/L(-1) 6-benzyl amino-purine and 2,0 mg/L(-1) indoleacetic acid. All of the culture me dia contained one of the following carbohydrates: fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose, raffinose, ribose, rhammose, saccharose, s orbose and xylose. Callus formation could not be induced on all cultur e media. Galactose, sorbose, ribose and xylose in the culture medium l ed neither to callus formation nor to shoot proliferation. On a glucos e containing medium 79% and on a maltose containing medium 60% of the leaf vein segments showed callus formation. The calli induced on malto se and lactose containing media developed after 8 weeks 22 and 20 shoo ts. The appearance of the first callus depended on the size of the exp lant and the applied carbohydrate in the medium. The supplement of fru ctose and raffinose to the medium led after 9 and 7 days on small expl ants to callus formation while big explants needed 13 days for the cal lus induction. Contrarily, on lactose, maltose, glucose, rhamnose and saccharose containing media the large sized leaf vein segments showed callus formation after 4-9 days. The callus formation was not correlat ed to the amount of callus production with respect to the different ap plied carbohydrates.