Refinement of the in vitro propagation process of Petunia (Petunia hybrida) plant

Abstract

Petunia (Petunia hybrida) is currently one of the most favored ornamental potted flowers. Tissue culture-based propagation has proven to be effective in terms of multiplication rates and consistent seedling quality, meeting the demand for Purple Petunia varieties. In this study, Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) with various culture media [Murashige and Skoog (MS), ½ MS, and Knudson C] and growth regulators [6-benzyladenine (BA), Indole 3-butyric acid (IBA), and Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA)] were utilized to determine the appropriate concentrations and durations for sample sterilization, shoot multiplication, and root induction processes of Purple Petunia. Evaluation criteria for in vitro Purple Petunia included parameters, such as survival rate, contamination rate, dead samples, number of shoots, shoot height, number of roots, and root length. The results indicated that stem sample sterilization at a 5% NaOCl concentration for 10 min yielded the highest survival rate (70.7%) at 14 days post-culture initiation. Purple Petunia stem samples, when cultured in MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L BA combined with 0.1 mg/L IBA, demonstrated the most efficient shoot multiplication with a multiplication rate of 26.9, a shoot weight of 3.6 g, a leaf/shoot ratio of 4.6, and a shoot height of 3.0 cm. The MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/L NAA was found to be optimal for root induction, resulting in the highest number of roots at 32.1 roots/plant and a root length of 7.0 cm. Briefly, this research provided fundamental insights into the in vitro propagation process of disease-free Purple Petunia multiplication.