In vitro clonal propagation of Cucumis sativus L. by shoot tip culture

Abstract

The possibility of in vitro clonal propagation of Cucumis sativus L. cultivars Telegraph 314, Pepinex 69 and Rebella by the use of shoot tip explants was investigated as an interesting strategy for reducing the cost of hybrid seed production. Shoot tip explants (3 to 5 mm length) from 13-day-old in vitro grown seedlings were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different BA and NAA concentrations (0.0, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.6 μM) and their combinations for 32 days. To investigate the effect of BA (6-Benziladenine) and NAA (α-Naphthaleneacetic acid) on shoot proliferation the medium supplemented with 0.0, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.6 μM of each Plant Growth Regulator (PGR) alone and in combination. The proliferation rate, shoot quality and other parameters studied indicate that the optimal treatment was 0.4 μM BA. The proliferated shoots succeeded to root in each treatment with different frequencies (45-100%) although the highest rooting frequency was obtained from the PGR-free medium. The plantlets were gradually acclimated ex vitro and successfully established under greenhouse conditions. © 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information.