In vitropropagation ofPistacia veraL. and the commercial cultivars Ohadi and Kalleghochi

Abstract

Procedures have been developed for the in vitro clonal propagation of a Pistacia vera seedling rootstock and two Iranian commercial cultivars, Ohadi and Kalleghochi, using explants from plants up to two years old. Browning of the culture medium and the explant was common at the initial stage of culture, but proliferating shoot cultures were established from shoot tips and from nodal bud segments on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 4.0 mgl⁻¹ BAP. Shoot tip necrosis occurred in some proliferating shoots but not on shoots which had produced roots. The cause of this disorder is discussed. Roots developed on cultured shoots subcultured onto MS medium (half strength macronutrients) containing 2.5 mgl⁻¹ IBA, and subsequently the shoots were established in vivo in compost.