Development of an Efficient and Rapid Micropropagation Protocol for In Vitro Multiplication of Maerua crassifolia Forssk

Abstract

The difficult propagation of shrub and tree species and their extensive exposure to grazing threaten their abundance and lead to the necessity to find alternative means of propagation for these species. In vitro micropropagation techniques, viz., tissue culture, offer a promising tool for the rapid, cost-effective, and efficient propagation of different plant species. In the current study, a rapid and efficient in vitro multiplication protocol was developed for the micropropagation of Maerua crassifolia Forssk. Our results revealed that Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 7.5 µM of 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) and 1.0 µM of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) led to the highest shoot formation (13.9 shoots per explant in 85.7% of the cultivated hypocotyls) among all other treatments. The best in vitro root formation was obtained on half-strength MS medium with 1.0 µM of indole 3-butyric acid (IBA) as 94.1% of the cultivated shoots formed 6.8 roots per microshoot on average. Ninety percent of the rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized and are currently growing in the botanical garden of the Botany and Microbiology Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The genetic fidelity of the micropropagated plants was authenticated via flow cytometry. The results of the current study explained a simple, cost-effective, and efficient protocol for the micropropagation of the endangered M. crassifolia trees.

Meta-Topolin as an Effective Benzyladenine Derivative to Improve the Multiplication Rate and Quality of In Vitro Axillary Shoots of Húsvéti Rozmaring Apple Scion

“…Micropropagation of apple is employed to produce genetically uniform disease-free scions and rootstocks for commercial production in large scale [ 11 ]. Micropropagation of apple rootstocks could be used to overcome the limitations of traditional methods [ 3 ], and offer a promising tool for efficient, cost-effective, and rapid clonal multiplication protocol of apples and other fruit tree plants [ 12 , 13 ]. Further, micropropagation permits fast propagation of new varieties or lines for apple breeders [ 14 ].…”