Virus elimination by meristem-tip culture from a range of Alstroemeria cultivars

Abstract

A technique for virus elimination by meristem culture was developed for a range ofAlstroemeria cultivars. Meristems were excised from the rhizome tips and placed on a medium with indole-3-butyric acid, the required concentration of which was cultivar dependent: Six to eight weeks after dissection a shoot had formed which was transferred to a medium without growth regulators. On filter paper bridges, in a liquid medium, root formation was better than on a solid medium. In many cases a new rhizome developed. If not, the plantlet eventually died. Transfer into soil was more successful with the plantlets rooted in liquid medium than with those rooted in solid medium. Virus elimination was cultivar dependent, but in most cultivars plants resulting negatively in serological tests could be obtained. After repeated testing and selection for horticultural properties these plants may be used to start high quality mother plots.