Growth and development of carnation ‘Dreambyul’ plantlets in a temporary immersion system and comparisons with conventional solid culture methods

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to compare the effects of the culture method—conventional solid medium culture and temporary immersion system (TIS)—on the growth and development of carnation ‘Dreambyul’ plantlets. At the same time, different immersion intervals and immersion durations of TIS culture were also tested to find the optimal setting for mass production of high-quality carnation plantlets in vitro. In the first experiment, the results showed that the shoot length, root length, and number of nodes of plantlets cultured in the TIS were highest when the immersion interval was 8 h. Compared with that of plantlets cultured in the conventional solid medium culture, the fresh weight of plantlets cultured in the TIS was at least 3 times greater. The greatest total chlorophyll content, stomata with normal shapes was observed for plantlets grown in the TIS with an 8-h immersion interval. The lowest H2O2 level was recorded in plantlets cultured with the 8-h immersion interval. In the second study, growth traits such as the shoot length, root length, and stem diameter, as well as the number of shoots and roots tended to increase with immersion durations, and reached their peaks when the immersion duration was 90 s. Excessive water accumulation in tissues and a higher incidence of hyperhydricity were observed in plantlets where the immersion duration was 120 and 150 s. These findings suggest that an immersion interval of 8 h, combined with an immersion duration of 90 s, could be the optimal setting for growth and development of carnation ‘Dreambyul’ plantlets cultured in the TIS.