Optimization of Renealmia mexicana (Klotzsch ex. Petersen) cultivation in vitro

Abstract

Renealmia mexicana (Klotzsch ex. Petersen) is a tropical plant found in southern Mexico with an ornamental value and a potential source of curcuminoids. Its distribution in Chiapas has decreased because of deforestation and low propagation and germination rate, so a protocol for in vitro propagation was developed. An orthogonal experimental design of L9 (34) in triplicate was used to investigate the effect of 6-benzyl adenine (BA), indole butyric acid (IBA), silver nitrate (AgNO3), and sucrose on shoot, root, and leaf development of plantlets grown in vitro. Plantlets with well-developed shoots and roots were transferred to pots containing a mixture of peat moss and agrolite for hardening before transfer to soil. The Murashige and Skoog (Physiol. Plant. 15:473–497, 1962) mineral medium (MS) supplemented with 4.4 μM BA, 2.5 μM IBA, 11.7 μM AgNO3y and 5.5% (w/v) sucrose gave most shoots, 8.9 μM BA, 2.5 μM IBA, 17.7 μM AgNO3 and 5.5% (w/v) sucrose most roots, and 8.9 μM BA, 4.9 μM IBA, 11.7 μM AgNO3 and 3.0% (w/v) sucrose most leaves, although other combinations were statistically equivalent in each case. Sucrose was the factor that most explained the variation in the promotion of shoots, roots, and leaves. The protocol developed resulted in up to 100% survival when plantlets were transferred to soil using AgNO3, confirming that hardening of plantlets in vitro using hormonal stimulation was a suitable strategy to improve acclimatization.