In Vitro Propagation of Narcissus tazetta1

Abstract

Abstract Regeneration of bulblets was induced in tissue culture of twin-scale bases taken from bulbs of Narcissus tazetta cv. ‘Grand Soleil d‘Or’. Bulblet formation took place in the dark, on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 30 g/liter sucrose and 5 g/liter activated charcoal (AC). Omission of AC led to a significant reduction in bulblet regeneration and growth, and addition of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzylamino purine (BA), to a medium without AC, completely inhibited bulblet formation. The inhibitory effect of NAA and BA was nullified by AC. Light reduced bulblet regeneration and growth in explants cultured on an AC-containing medium. Bulblet regeneration was also induced on explants prepared by splitting culture-derived bulblets into halves and incubating them on a MS medium supplemented with sucrose and AC. Under optimal culture conditions, bulblet regeneration on twin-scale bases, combined with bulblet regeneration on split culture-derived bulblet explants, leads to the production of 200–300 bulblets from one mother bulb in about half a year. Excised bulblets developed leaves and roots when cultured in the light on half-strength MS medium supplemented with 30 g/liter sucrose and 0.1 mg/liter NAA. Fully developed plantlets could be planted out directly to the open field.