Growth dependence of ovaries of facultatively parthenocarpic eggplant in vitro on indole-3-acetic acid content

This work was undertaken to investigate the growth of tissue-cultured ovari es of facultatively parthenocarpic eggplant in vitro in relation to their i ndole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content. Ovaries isolated from facultatively part henocarpic eggplant (Solanum melongena L. cv Talina) and non-parthenocarpic eggplant (S. melongena L. cv Senryo-nigo) were grown under tissue culture conditions. The ovaries of facultatively parthenocarpic eggplant grew for 4 0 days on hormone-free medium when sucrose concentration was 50-70 g l(-1). The growth of ovaries of non-parthenocarpic eggplant ceased after 10 days. The ovaries of facultatively parthenocarpic eggplant on the medium contain ing 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) did not develop at all. The levels of IAA in the ovaries of both facultatively parthenocarpic and non-parthenocar pic plants were identical at excision, but were higher in ovaries of facult atively parthenocarpic than in those of non-parthenocarpic eggplant and ova ries of facultatively parthenocarpic eggplant grown on the medium containin g TIBA at 20 and 40 days after culture initiation. Our findings indicated t hat the growth of the ovaries of facultatively parthenocarpic eggplant is s upported by the availability of endogenous IAA. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.