Micropropagation of Eucalyptus maculata from Mature Stock by tissue culture

Abstract

Due to Eucalyptuspotential as a fast growing species, its utilization for afforestation and industrial and medical purposes is very important. E. maculata Hook. is an important species among the other eucalypts in respect to some chemical components production and medical utilization. Sexual and asexual propagation of this species is difficult, for this reason the trial was conducted to investigate its propagation by tissue culture, using micro mature stocks. The produced explants from the mature stocks, were placed on MS medium (Murashige and Skooge) treated by ½ nitrate and various growth regulators such as Kin (Kinetin), BAP (Benzylamino purine), IBA (Indole-3-acetic acid), 2ip (2-Isopentyladenine), TDZ (Tidiazorun) and NAA (Naphtalen Acetic Acid) at different levels of concentration. After two months, growth indexes, including shoot number, shoot height, root number, root length, bud number and greenness rate were measured and recorded. Results showed that the best shooting treatment was IBA (0.01 mgl-1), BAP (0.3 mgl-1) and 2ip (0.5 mgl-1), in which average shoot number, shoot height and greenness rate were 4.63, 2.73 cm and 3.75, respectively, whereas the best rooting treatment was NAA (0.5 mgl-1) plus IBA (0.5 mgl-1), in which root length was 0.2 cm. Finally, the micropropagated plantlets were transferred to greenhouse to pass their adaptation process.

Keywords

• eucalyptus
• Asexual propagation
• Shooting
• rooting
• Tissue culture
• media culture