ORGANOGENESIS AND REGENERATION FROM PIGMENTED CALLUS IN CAMELLIA-SINENSIS (L) O-KUNTZE CV NANDADEVI, AN ELITE DARJEELING TEA CLONE

Organogenesis and regeneration of adventitious shoots from stem callus in Camellia sinensis cv. Nandadevi was affected by explant type, natu re of calli lines established and cytokinin type used. Callus cultures were established from three types of explants viz., stem epidermal la yers (E(1)), transversely cut stem segments (E(2)) and longitudinally cut stripped stem segments (E(3)), cultured on half strength Murashige and Skoogs media containing 3 mg/l benzyladenine (BA), 3 mg/l BA, 50 mg/l adenine sulphate (M(2)), 3 mg/l Zn and 50 mg/l adenine sulphate ( M(3)), Two calli lines were established from the three types of explan ts in M(1), M(2) and M(3) medium i.e., friable green (FG) or compact g reen (CG), after 3 weeks of culture. Regeneration was achieved only in CG calli derived from E(2) and E(3) but not E(1) explants, when such calli turned heterogenous with respect to pigmentation on subculture t o basal medium containing BA (1-10 mg/l). Callus derived from E(2) exp lants showed a higher regeneration frequency (90%) in basal medium wit h 5 mg/l BA. The maximum number of shoot buds obtained was 22.5 +/- 0. 5/g calli within 4 weeks of culture. Shoots proliferated on basal medi um containing 1 mg/l BA and 5 mg/l GA(3), 37.2 +/- 0.3 microshoots/g c alli could be excised after 4 weeks and microshoots (3-4 ems) rooted o n 1/4 basal media containing 6 mg/l IBA. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier S cience Ireland Ltd