Somatic embryogenesis of Asarina erubescens (A. Gray) Pennel

Abstract

Efficient plant regeneration was achieved via direct organogenesis from leaf petiole explants of Asarina erubescens (A. Gray) Pennel. Shoots were obtained from explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP; 4.40–44.0 µM) alone or in combination with BAP (4.40–44.0 µM) and auxin naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA; 0.54 µM). In MS medium with different BAP concentrations and with BAP plus NAA, calli formed at the ends of explants; however, they were non-embryogenic and plantlets formed directly from epidermal cells. Callus formation was observed after one week of incubation. The age of the leaves also influenced callus formation. The most abundant callus formation took place on leaf petiole explants of intermediate age. The most intensive formation of new plantlets was observed after 2–3 weeks of cultivation. MS medium supplemented with BAP (22.20 µM) was most effective and provided a high shoot-regeneration frequency (100%) associated with a large mean number of shoots per explant (26.8). The presence of NAA in the nutrient medium was not essential for the direct regeneration of plantlets from leaf petiole explants of Asarina erubescens. Keywords: plant regeneration, creeping gloxinia, tissue culture Abbreviations: BAP – 6-benzylaminopurine; MS – Murashige and Skoog; NAA – naphthaleneacetic acid