In Vitro Micrografting of Mature Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.)

Abstract

A micrografting technique was developed for Ceratonia Siliqua using in vitro germinated seedlings as rootstocks and apex or shoot cultures (established from mature female tree source) as microscions. In vitro germinated seedlings were decapitated and used as rootstock. Mature explants were initiated on Murashige and Skoog medium containing 30 g/l sucrose, and 0.5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine, then transferred on the multiplication medium (Murashige and Skoog + 0.5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine + 0.1 mg/l gibberellic acid + 0.1 mg/l indol-3-butyric acid). Micrografts could be easily cultured on the same medium and developed after one month. Grafting success has been dependent on the method of grafting. The micrografting on hypocotyl (central grafting) method was significantly more successful (92, 50%) than the other grafts methods. The compatible graft union was observed one month after grafting. The histological cuttings showed that the graft union formation was initiated by the development of the callus bridge at the interface between scion and rootstock, after that, new vascular elements including vessels and tracheids were seen across the interface zone.

Patterns and processes in crop domestication: an historical review and quantitative analysis of 203 global food crops

“…olive), while the second coincides with the discovery and dissemination of scion grafting (e.g. carob; Zohary, 2002;Hsina & El-Mtili, 2009). The two waves of domestication for trees coincide with this time-frame, particularly the second wave beginning 3000-2000 ya, which is the time-frame for the development of scion grafting techniques in the Mediterranean basin.…”

International Biological Flora: Ceratonia siliqua

“…Carob can be micropropagated using both juvenile and adult tissues (Gonçalves et al, 2005;Hsina & El-Mtili, 2009;Lozzi et al, 2019;Naghmouchi et al, 2008Naghmouchi et al, , 2012Romano et al, 2002;Sayed et al, 2020;Sebastian & McComb, 1986;Shahzad et al, 2017;Vinterhalter et al, 1992). This is possible by axillary budding from nodal explants of young stems and by apex culture (Costa-Pérez et al, 2023;Gonçalves et al, 2005), and somatic embryogenesis from immature cotyledons (Canhoto et al, 2006;El Bouzdoudi et al, 2017), mature cotyledons (Lozzi et al, 2015), zygotic embryos (Custódio & Romano, 2006) or immature seeds (Ksia et al, 2008).…”