Micropropagation of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) from seedlings

• Published in: Plant cell reports 1997-04, Vol.16 (7), p.485-489
• Main Authors: Keveriappa, K.M, Phillips, L.M, Trigiano, R.N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: benzyladenine; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; buds; cloning; Cornus florida; culture media; cultured cells; dose response; Eukaryotic cell cultures; explants; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genotypes; In vitro propagation: entire plant regeneration from tissues and cell cultures; indole butyric acid; methodology; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; micropropagation; murashige and skoog medium; Plant cells and fungal cells; regenerative ability; rooting; rooting capacity; Roots; schenk and hildebrandt medium; Seedlings; Shoots; thidiazuron; woody plant medium; Woody plants
• ISSN: 0721-7714; 1432-203X
• DOI: 10.1007/BF01092771

A method for regenerating whole plants from nodal (axillary bud) cultures of seedlings was developed for flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.). The seed source significantly influenced the rate of proliferation, although cultures initiated from each of the seven mother trees produced some shoots. Woody plant medium (WPM) was superior to either Murashige and Skoog or Schenk and Hildebrandt basal medium. 6-Benzyladenine (BA) at 2.2 or 4.4 micromolar stimulated the generation of significantly more useable shoots (> greater than or equal to 1 cm) compared to all other concentrations (0.5-22.5 micromolar) tested. Thidiazuron (TDZ) at 0.6 and 1.1 micromolar supported proliferation, but strongly inhibited shoot elongation. TDZ initiated cultures transferred to medium containing 4.4 micromolar BA produced usable shoots after five additional subcultures. Shoots generated adventitious roots when exposed to either a 12-h pulse of relatively high concentrations (246-1230 micromolar), or continuous lower concentrations (0.5-49.0 micromolar) of indolebutyric acid (IBA) for longer periods. Microshoots produced the significantly greatest number of roots when subjected to 4.9 micromolar IBA in WPM over a 4-week period. Whole plants were acclimatized to the laboratory conditions and subsequently to the greenhouse. The methodology described here should be useful in a breeding program by supplying multiple copies of unique, recombinant genotypes.