Protocorm Like Bodies (PLBs) dendrobium orchid “Gatton Sunray”

Abstract

The Dendrobium Orchid Gatton Sunray is a hybrid orchid of Dendrobium pulchellum × Dendrobium illustre. A study was aimed to find the best type of medium and type of banana for the multiplication of Protocorm-Like Bodies (PLBs) of this orchid. This research was conducted from February to September 2020 at the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Bengkulu. Treatments included type of media and cultivar of ripe banana fruit, added as source of organic complex, consisted of 4 cultivars, namely Ambon Curup, Kepok, Tanduk and Mas. Ripe bananas were mashed and added to the in vitro medium as much as 50 g.L-1. Types of media consist of Murashige and Skoog (MS), ½ Doses of Murashige and Skoog (MS) media, and Complex of fertilizer media. The results showed that the ½ MS medium added with 50 g.L-1 cv. Kepok fruit produced the greatest multiplication (11.8 PLBs per jar), the best growth of PLBs, including the greatest PLBs number (28.5 PLBs per jar), the heaviest fresh weight (1.30 g per jar) and the longest PLBs (2.56 cm).