Micropropagation of Different Citrus Rootstocks Using WPM Medium Culture

Abstract

Micropropagation is a method that enables in vitro cloning of cultivated plants, irrespective of their potential to produce seeds and their polyembryony rate, guaranteeing genetic identity and absence of phytosanitary problems of the propagated plants if the multiplication process is conducted suitably. In this respect, citrus rootstocks of agronomic interest were micropropagated in Wood Plant Medium (WPM). The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Cruz das Almas, in the Recôncavo Baiano region of Bahia state, Brazil, with 10 rootstocks: ‘Indio’, ‘Riverside’ and ‘San Diego’ citrandarins, ‘Sunki Tropical’ mandarin, and the hybrids RL × TR-001, FRL × (RL × TR)-005, CSM × (RL × TR)-059, TRH-051, TRH-069 and CSM × TRBK-Colombia. Nodal segments of these genotypes, with approximate length of 1 cm, were used. The number of plants formed per explant was evaluated 180 days after inoculation. The experimental design was completely randomized, with ten treatments and 12 repetitions, the data obtained were submitted to analysis of variance (F-test) and the grouped means were analyzed by the Scott-Knott test, in both cases a 5% probability. In vitro culture of explants of the ten genotypes studied presented positive responses to micropropagation in the WPM medium, once the explants of all genotypes showed direct regeneration and formed plants. The citrandarin 'Indio' he stood out with the highest average of explants by plant (4.20).