Micropropagation of lemon balm

Traditional propagation of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) is inefficie nt for establishing a good quality clonal population. Results of the presen ted experiments outline an effective method for micropropagation of this sp ecies. Following culture initiation from shoots of field-grown plants on gr owth regulator free Murashige-Skoog medium, rapid shoot multiplication with only rudimentary root formation could be achieved on media containing vari ous concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid and 6-benzyladenine. The combina tion of 5.71 mu M indole-3-acetic acid and 6.66 mu M 6-benzyladenine result ed in the best multiplication. Transfer of propagules to media containing i ndole-3-acetic acid and kinetin did not result in shoot proliferation; howe ver, single plantlets grown on media containing 5.71 mu M indole-3-acetic a cid and 13.9 mu M kinetin developed more compact shoots and stronger roots than the control plants and were suitable for acclimatisation with an effic iency over 95%.