INVESTIGATIONS INTO IN VITRO MANIPULATION OF SOLANUM CENTRALE (BUSH TOMATO)

Abstract

Solanum centrale J.M. Black (Solanaceae) commonly called bush raisin or bush tomato, or known locally as kampurarpa, is a small clonally spreading undershrub with yellow fruit that dry on the plant to resemble a raisin. The fruit provides excellent nourishment and is recognised as possibly the most important of all Central Australian native plant foods, and is one of the key commercially significant bushfood species. One of the main obstacles to the horticultural cultivation of S. centrale is the low germination rate of the seed. In this research, a medium was developed that stimulated multiple shoot initiation from different type of explants, resulting in multiple shoot clumps forming on various media within 6 weeks. Aseptic cultures were initiated from mature plants, using apical shoots of 5 mm in length and placed on basic MS medium supplement with 2 pM BAP. Three types of explants were investigated: apical buds, nodal cuttings with one axillary bud per explant, and leaf segments of 10 mm2 including the mid vein. The formation of adventitious shoots was achieved using half MS medium with B 5 vitamins and BAP, kinetin, and zeatin at concentrations of 1, 5, 10 and 25 pM with IAA at 1 pM. Roots formed when clumps of shootlets were transplanted to the glasshouse environment and planted in perlite:sand:peat potting mixture.