EFFICIENT CALLUS INITIATION FROM LEAF OF MANGROVE PLANT, BRUGUIERA-SEXANGULA IN AMINO-ACID MEDIUM - EFFECT OF NACL ON CALLUS INITIATION

Experimental conditions for efficient callus Initiation from mangrove plants were investigated. As a source explant, leaf of Bruguiera sexan gula was used. Mangrove plant is one of the most famous woody plants w hich can grow at the salty area. The initiated callus can be a suitabl e material for the investigation of salt tolerant mechanisms of mangro ve plants. Leaf pieces cultured in an Amino Acid medium supplemented w ith 2 mu M 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2 mu M N-(2-chloro-4-py ridyl)-N'-phenylurea at 30 C developed calluses. Microscopic observati on suggested that the callus was initiated from the tissue in the vasc ular bundles in the leaf. We also examined the effect of NaCl on callu s initiation and short-term culture of the calluses on the leaves. Cal lus initiation rate decreased with increasing NaCl concentration highe r than 100 mM in the culture media. The medium containing 100 mM NaCl produced the largest callus on the leaf, compared with higher or Tower concentrations of NaCl.