MICROPROPAGATION OF FASTIGIATE BIRD CHERRY (PRUNUS-PADUS L) AND ADVENTITIOUS SHOOT FORMATION FROM LEAVES

A shoot tip of a mature clone of fastigiate bird cherry (Prunus padus L.) was successfully established in vitro. Culture of shoot tip explan ts on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) based medium with phloroglucinol (PG) resulted in micropropagation, but the clonal line gradually became hy perhydric on this medium. This problem was overcome using PG-free medi um based on either MS or Driver and Kuniyuki Walnut medium (DKW). Heav ier cultures with more shoots were obtained on DKW medium with fructos e or glucose rather than sucrose or sorbitol. Leaf explants placed on DKW basal medium with benzyladenine (BA) produced adventitious shoots. Addition of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid to media with BA increased regen eration. More leaves produced shoots on medium with sucrose or sorbito l rather than glucose or fructose. Adventitious shoots were excised an d micropropagated. Shoots were rooted by insertion into DKW medium wit h indol-3yl-butyric acid, followed by transfer to hormone-free DKW. PG increased the proportion of shoots that produced adventitious roots.