Influence of Light Conditions and Medium Composition on Morphophysiological Characteristics of <i>Stevia rebaudiana</i> Bertoni In Vitro and In Vivo

Abstract

We investigated the influence of different conditions (light composition and plant growth regulators (PGRs) in culture media) on the morphophysiological parameters of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni in vitro and in vivo. Both PGRs and the light spectra applied were found to significantly affect plant morphogenesis. During the micropropagation stage of S. rebaudiana, optimal growth, with a multiplication coefficient of 15, was obtained in an MS culture medium containing 2,4-epibrassinolide (Epin) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 mg L−1, respectively. During the rooting stage, we found that the addition of 0.5 mg L−1 hydroxycinnamic acid (Zircon) to the MS medium led to an optimal root formation frequency of 85% and resulted in the formation of strong plants with well-developed leaf blades. Cultivation on media containing 0.1 mg L−1 Epin and 0.5 mg L−1 IAA and receiving coherent light irradiation on a weekly basis resulted in a 100% increase in the multiplication coefficient, better adventitious shoot growth, and a 33% increase in the number of leaves. S. rebaudiana microshoots, cultured on MS media containing 1.0 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.5 mg L−1 IAA with red monochrome light treatments, increased the multiplication coefficient by 30% compared with controls (white light, media without PGRs).

Keywords

• <i>Stevia rebaudiana</i> Bertoni
• clonal micropropagation
• morphogenesis
• plant growth regulators (PGRs)
• spectral light composition
• light-emitting diodes (LED)