<i>In vitro</i> Propagation of a Cut Flower Variety <i>Muscari armeniacum</i> Leichtl. ex Bak. Through Direct Bulblet Proliferation Pathways

Abstract

<em>Muscari armeniacum</em> is one of the important ornamental cut flower in floriculture industry which native to Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia and Asia Minor. In this study, bulb explants (basal plate of bulb having meristem), bulb scales and leaf segments from <em>in vitro</em> derived bulblets were culture in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with different plant growth regulator concentrations and combinations to assess growth regulators effect on different bulblet organogenesis pathways <em>in vitro</em>. The results demonstrated that cytokinin in combination with auxin is required for both axillary and adventitious bulblet regeneration. Benzyladenine (BA) - α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) combination, showed significant effects compared to other growth regulator combinations tested. 4.0 µM BA + 2.0 µM NAA was the found to the best for axillary bulblet formation from bulb explants. Likewise, bulb and leaf segments showed the best response in adventitious bulblet organogenesis when they were cultured in BA-NAA combinations. Out of several concentrations of BA with NAA, 4.0 µM BA + 1.0 µM NAA was optimum for adventitious bulblet regeneration. Bulblets, properly isolated from both axillary and adventitious proliferation systems, showed maximum percentage of rooting on half strength MS medium containing 2.0 µM Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). However, the higher concentration of all the auxins showed either callus formation at the base of shoots or malformation of roots. All the <em>in vitro </em>regenerated plantlets were successfully acclimatized under <em>ex vitro</em> environment in the garden soil with 60% survival rate.