Abstract

Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels is an endangered plant species endemic to Morocco. In recent years, attempts to develop in vitro regeneration systems for this species were made. However, rooting and acclimatization of in vitro plants have been a bottleneck for successful propagation. In the present study, the effects of different concentrations of auxins, putrescine, silver nitrate (AgNO3) and ammonium nitrate on the in vitro rooting of adventitious shoots of two argan genotypes “Mejji” and “R’zwa”, were evaluated. The highest rooting percentages (86.6% in “Mejji” and 84.4% in “R’zwa”) were observed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium modified by reducing the ammonium nitrate concentration and supplemented with 1.5 mg L−1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), 0.5 mg L−1 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 2 mg L−1 AgNO3 and 160 mg L−1 putrescine. This medium resulted in the development of a good root system after only 10 days of culture. Plantlet acclimatization was carried out using different substrate mixtures, and high survival rates (100%) were observed when the substrate contained either peat alone or a sand–peat mixture (1:1, w/w). The high percentages of rooting and acclimatization reported in the present study are of high importance for rapid and large-scale propagation of this endangered species.

Highlights

  • Argan (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) is a forest species belonging to the family Sapotaceae growing endemically in Morocco [1,2]

  • Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium showed significantly higher rooting percentages (52.2% in “Mejji” and 57.7% in “R’zwa”) than RM (MS modified by reducing NH4NO3 concentration to 825 mg L−1) and M (MS without NH4NO3) media

  • Callus formation was higher in shoots cultured on RM medium supplemented with putrescine, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 1.5 mg L−1 Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA)

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Summary

Introduction

Argan (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) is a forest species belonging to the family Sapotaceae growing endemically in Morocco [1,2]. Argan plays multiple socioeconomic and environmental roles. Argan fruits are used by local populations for the production of argan oil, a product that has long been valued for its nutritional, medicinal and therapeutic properties [3,4]. Argan oil is one of the most expensive and sought-after oils in the world. The price of argan oil in the international market exceeds US$400 per liter [5]. The argan oil industry significantly contributes to the income of local populations and sustains and improves their livelihood [6]. The argan ecosystem was reported to improve water quality, crop production and rangeland conditions and contributes to maintaining high soil quality, protecting biodiversity and controlling desertification [7]

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