Factors affecting in vitro regeneration of Ficus carica L. and genetic fidelity studies using molecular marker

Abstract

A facile method for regeneration of fig (Ficus carica L.) is in demand given the inability of the varieties having persistent type fruiting habit to produce viable seeds for germination, whereas asexual propagation features certain limitations. This article reports factor affecting in vitro regeneration of three fig cultivars, Masui Dauphine, Orphan, and A134. Ammonium nitrate, calcium chloride, sugar concentration in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, explants genotype, culture system (liquid or solid media), and light intensity of culture room affect regeneration. Half-calcium-modified MS (HCMS) liquid medium with 1 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), 0.1 mg/l naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 0.02 mg/l gibberellic acid (GA3) responded well for shoot induction and proliferation. In average, 18 harvestable shoots were observed per-explant of Orphan cultivar. For elongation, HCMS liquid medium with 0.6 mg/l BAP, 0.1 mg/l NAA, and 0.1 mg/l GA3 performed well among the studied media combinations. Hormone-free regular MS liquid medium produced the highest percentage of rooted explants for all cultivars. Root induction reached 85% for Orphan. In vitro rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized on soil. Inter simple sequence repeat marker based study for somaclonal variation detection showed genetic uniformity of regenerated and donor plants. This regeneration method may be useful for large-scale production of identical plantlets and genetic transformation studies to further improve fig.