ISHS Acta Horticulturae 812: III International Symposium on Acclimatization and Establishment of Micropropagated Plants
IN VITRO PROPAGATION OF HIBISCUS ROSA-SINENSIS (L.) |
| Authors: | M. Airò, G. Giardina, G. Farruggia, G.V. Zizzo |
| Keywords: | micropropagation, rooting, plant growth regulators |
| Abstract:
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (L.) is a complex member of the genus within the Malvaceae plant Family. The species itself has an ancient hybrid origin from the Indian Ocean region and has been grown in Europe for centuries. H. rosa-sinensis is, in reality, a highly polymorphic group composed of complex hybrids and their derivatives. The plant is a glossy-leaved evergreen shrub, sometimes as much as 5 m high and wide, with blood-red flowers borne just about all year. New commercial cultivars of hibiscus are created by getting them to produce seed, but it is well known as the hybridizing, that has become a garden hobby, will likely produce seedlings that differ from its parents; for this reason, reproduction of hybridized plants is primarily through cuttings, air-layering or cell tissue cultures. In the Mediterranean basin the species is naturalized and can be easily grown outdoors. More often hibiscus plants are commercialized as “hybrid-grafted” potted plants. This study wants to add knowledge on the opportunity of an in vitro mass production of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plantlets. Nodal and axillary microcuttings have been sterilized using a bleach solution (1% NaOCl, w/v). It was possible to obtain healthy and sterile explants (94%) from almost all the cuts. The shoots were multiplied in vitro onto Murashige and Skoog (1962) (MS) salts and vitamins, supplemented with four concentrations (0, 0.88, 1.78 and 2.66 μM) of benzyladenine (BA) and with 0.57 μM of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA); sucrose 30 g L-1 and agar 8 g L-1; pH 5.7. Rooting was attained in 1/2MS medium containing IAA (0, 1.42, 2.85 and 4.27 μM). The highest proliferation rate (4.9) was obtained on MS medium supplemented with BA at 1.78 μM. The best rooting result were accomplished with IAA at 2.85 μM. The plants produced an average of 4.3 roots/s with a mean root length of 1.8 cm. | |
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