Micropropagation of Gas Plant (Dictamnus albus L.)

Gas plant.(Dictamnus albus L.) was successfully micropropagated from greenhouse-grown plants capable of flowering. Stems from initial spring growth were surface disinfested and two- node sections were placed horizontally on modified Murishige and Skoog medium with 1 μM (0.2, ppm) benzyladenine (BA). A dose response to BA at 1,5 and 10 μM (0.2, 1.1,2.3 ppm) indicated that the greatest number of usable microshoots was observed in cultures from horizontally placed explants treated with 1 μM (0.2 ppm) BA. These cultures initiated between 7.6 and 9.5 shoots per culture with approximately 70% of the shoots greater than 2 cm (0.8 in). Microcuttings rooted poorly in vitro even with indolebutyric acid in the medium. However, microcuttings rooted between 71 and 86 percent under ex vitro conditions. Microcuttings either untreated or treated with indolebutyric acid (5,000 or 10,000 ppm) as a quick dip produced 1.8 to 2.6 roots per rooted cutting after being directly stuck in a peat-lite medium (Metro-Mix or Promix) in cell packs under high humidity. Untreated microcuttings rooted at higher percentages (67 to 88%) in peat-lite media compared to perlite or vermitculite (25 to 58%). Rooted microcuttings were successfully acclimatized to greenhouse conditions by gradually reducing humidity.