Micropropagation of Matthiola incana using BA and IBA. Behzad Kaviani

Matthiola incana (Brassicaceae) is an important ornamental plant, which is used as cut flower, pot plant, and landscape. Traditionally, it is propagated via seeds, but interest is given in vegetative propagation of parental lines as well as superior single plants. Micropropagation by organogenesis is an efficient in vitro propagation method for Matthiola incana. Starting from seeds, apical bud is produced and propagated in MS medium containing benzyladenine (BA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Seeds from mother plants were germinated on MS medium without growth regulators. Apical buds from in vitro germinated seedlings were subcultured on solid MS medium supplemented with BA and IBA, both with concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1 and 5 mg L-1. Four-week-old in vitro plants obtained from apical buds showed successful shooting and rooting. MS medium supplemented with 5 mg L-1 BA + 1 mg L-1 IBA resulted in the highest shoot length (2.90 cm/plant). Largest number of node (5.72/plant) was obtained in MS medium containing 1 mg L-1 BA + 1 mg L-1 IBA. When the shoot tips were inoculated in the medium containing 0.5 mg L-1 IBA without BA, the best result was observed for root number (5.95/plant). Shoot tips cultivated in media containing 0.5 mg L-1 IBA without BA showed maximum root length (15.36 cm/plant). Also, the content of fresh weight and dry weight were obtained. About 85% of the micropropagated plantlets were established successfully in acclimatization medium. Regenerated plantlets were morphologically identical with mother plants. This protocol has proven useful for tissue culture propagation of Matthiola incana.