Organ and plantlet regeneration of Menyanthes trifoliata through tissue culture

Abstract

The conditions for the regeneration of plants through organogenesis from callus tissues of <em>Menyanthes trifoliata</em> are described. The shoot multiplication rate was affected by basal culture media, the type and concentration of cytokinin and subculture number. The best response was obtained when caulogenic calli were cultured on the modified Schenk and Hildebrandt medium (SH-M) containing indole-3-acetic acid (IAA 0,5 mg/l) and 6-benzyladenine (BA 1 mg/l) or zeatin (2 mg/l). Under these conditions ca 7 shoots (mostly 1 cm or more in length) per culture in the 5th and 6th passages could be developed. In older cultures (after 11-12 passages) there was a trend for more numerous but shorter shoot formation. All regenerated shoots could be rooted on the SH-M medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l IAA within 6 weeks; 80% of in vitro rooted plantlets survived their transfer to soil.