Modification of Shoot Tip Grafting Technique for Increasing Efficiency of Successful Grafts

Abstract

The shoot tip grafting (STG) technique has been applied in different countries for supplying disease-free citrus. The objectives of these studies were to modify the existing techniques to obtain more successful grafts. The combination of three conditions: a) exposure of seedlings to room light conditions, 12 hr daily for 3-9 days prior to grafting, b) benzyl aminopurine (BAP) treatment of the grafts at 0.5 mgiliter Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium for shoot development of the scion and c) transfer of successful grafts to the control MS medium (without any growth hormone) for 10-15 days prior to transferring to soil, have increased the number of successful grafts of one mandarin and one sweet orange variety gafted to rough lemon rootstock.