A cost effective protocol for in vitro mass propagation of cauliflower

An improved and cost effective protocol for in vitro mass propagation of ca uliflower from fractionated and graded curd is presented. The protocol is o ptimised for the production of clones of 2000 plants from one mother curd. Microshoots are produced en masse in 12 days, selected by flotation on a su crose pad and transferred to rooting medium after suspension in a viscous m edium. Fully rested propagules are transferred to the glasshouse in 4-5 wee ks and ready for transfer to the field 3-5 weeks later. The propagule unit cost was drastically reduced and is now close to that of a seed derived mod ule grown plantlet. The strengths and limitations of this protocol are disc ussed. Clones produced highly homogeneous curds in the field with a short c utting period. Their overall quality depended essentially on the quality of the selected mother curd. The screening of populations to select elite gen otypes combining high quality curd and good response in vitro is central to the use of this protocol on an industrial scale. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.