In vitro propagation and germplasm cold-storage of fertile and male-sterile Allium trifoliatum subsp. hirsutum

Abstract

Procedures for in vitro clonal propagation and for cold-storage of propagules were developed for fertile and male-sterile genotypes of Allium trifoliatum subsp. hirsutum, var. hirsutum and var. sterile, respectively. Highest rate of shoot multiplication was achieved from basal leaf and umbel explants on a modified BDS medium supplemented with 9 mg/l benzyladenine. Naphthalene acetic acid reduced the propagation rate, and was not required for shoot multiplication. The resulting shoots were rooted in an indole butyric acid-supplemented medium, and bulbing occurred upon exposure to a 16 h photoperiod. The small dormant bulbs were transplanted into potting mixture and sprouted after termination of dormancy, resulting in phenotypically-normal plants. No significant differences, in either shoot regeneration or plant establishment, were found between fertile and male-sterile genotypes.