Rapid plant regeneration from Gerbera jamesonii Bolus callus cultures

A high frequency shoot organogenesis and plant establishment protocol has been developed for Gerbera jamesonii from ex vitro leaf derived callus. The optimal callus was developed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 0.4 mg L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), 4.0 mg L -naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 3% (w/v) sucrose. Two callus types differing in their structures and growth rates were observed. A friable and non-chlorophyllous callus with high growth rate appeared at the cut surfaces of the explant, and a compact chlorophyllous callus. The rate of shoot bud regeneration was positively correlated with the concentration of growth regulators in the nutrient media. The explants were highly responsive (83.3%) in a medium containing 2 mg L NAA and 1 mg L BAP after 3 weeks of callus transfer to a medium. Regenerated plantlets were transferred to soil where they grew normally with a survival rate of 95%. This protocol offers rapid build up of selected clones and opens up prospects for using biotechnological approaches for gerbera improvement.