Some factors affecting the in vitro propagation of gladiolus

Abstract

Callus tissue cultures have been established from the excised segments of the inflorescence, flower stalks, denuded flower, bract, perianth and leaf segments of 2 cultivars of Gladiolus grandiflorus. Of all the explants and the media tested, the best callus was obtained from the segments of the flower stalks, cultured on a basal medium supplemented with naphthalene acetic acid and kinetin. The callus mostly underwent rhizogenesis, and occasionally differentiated shoots. Complete plants were regenerated from the in vitro cultured cormels, cormel tips and the axillary buds, and 6 plants were formed from the segments of 1 cormel, whereas in nature only 1 plant is obtained per cormel. Cultured young anthers callused and developed leaf-like petaloid structures, and occasionally showed multicellular pollen.