ISHS Acta Horticulturae 56: Symposium on Juvenility in Woody Perennials
EARLY FLOWERING OF BIRCH AND ITS MAINTENANCE IN PLANTS REGENERATED THROUGH TISSUE CULTURES |
| Author: | O. Huhtinen |
| Abstract:
Early-flowering birches (Betula pendula Roth.) were selected by means of controlled crossing for three generations. Vegetative propagation with conventional cutting techniques is difficult because the flowering seedlings primarily form generative buds only. However, it is easy to make callus cultures from these young birch seedlings and to induce the regeneration of calluses into whole plants on a modified Murashige and Skoog medium. The regenerated plants could be planted into pots three months after starting the cultures. In two months the birches formed the first male flowers if cultivated in the greenhouse under continuous light. Female flowers developed about four months later, mostly on lateral shoots. We could harvest the first pollen and seed crops of birches regenerated from callus cultures during the first year. Flowering of the vegetatively-propagated early-flowering birches has been 100 percent to date. | |
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