In vitro cloning of Thymus mastichina L. field-grown plants

In vitro vegetative propagation of thyme (Thymus mastichina L.) has been ob tained from mature field-grown plants. Nodal segments were cultured on Mura shige and Skoog (1962) modified medium supplemented with 0.1 mg.l(-1) BAP. Establishment of cultures was difficult due to the high incidence of contam inations. Cultures were multiplied in Collet (1985) modified medium. The ef fects of BAP, 2iP, K, and BAP+IAA on shoot growth and multiplication were i nvestigated. BAP was the best cytokinin during multiplication phase. The ef fect of the auxins IAA, IBA and NAA, on the in vitro rooting of the shoots was studied. The rooting percentage was high for all the auxins tested. The best results for root number, longest root length and shoot length were ob served with 1 mg.l(-1) NAA. One hundred per cent of plantlets were successf ully acclimatized under controlled conditions with high relative humidity.