Clonal propagation of cacti through axillary budsin vitro

Abstract

Summary The technique is based on hormonal stimulation of growth and development of quiescent meristems in vitro and consists in cultivating sterilized shoot fragments, including axillary buds, on agar nutrient media with the addition of low concentrations (0.5-5 mg l^-1) of auxins (IAA or NAA) and cytokinins (kinetin or BAP). In these conditions the production of new entire shoots occurs directly from the sites of axillary meristems. The method was successfully applied in Mammillaria carmenae, M. prolifera (cultivated mammillae with adjacent meristems), Astrophytum myriostigma and Trichocereus spachianus (explanted areoles). The method promises higher genetic stability and uniformity of cloned plants than earlier methods.