Effect of Explants Length and Density on in Vitro Rooting of Pineapple Ananas Comosus L Merr

Abstract

Pineapple explants of different length (5, 10, 15, and 20 mm long) were cultured at different densities (one, two, three, four, and five explants per culture) on full strength, agar solidified MS medium supplemented with sucrose at 30 g/l and IBA at 2.0 mg/l for 60 days. The rooting ability (rooting %, root number, and length) of the explants were not affected by the explants' length and explants' densities per culture. Irrespective of length and densities, 82 % of the explants rooted and produced 4.1 roots each 17.7 mm long. Moreover, overall explants lengths, plantlet height was not affected by explants density and were about 50.5 mm tall. On contrary, overall density, explant of different lengths developed into plantlets of significantly different height. Plantlets' height increased from 39.2 to 49.6; 55.9 and 57.4 mm as the explants length increased from 5 to 10; 15 and 20 mm respectively. Keywords: Pineapple; Ananas comosus; Explants length; Explants density