Abstract
This report describes the regeneration of a hybrid elm from leaf explants. Surface sterilized leaf explants from Ulmus X ‘Frontier’ were cultured on a medium containing combinations of cytokinins used previously to regenerate plants from other elms. Leaf strips cultured on a solid medium containing thidiazuron (TDZ), with or without 6-benzyladenine (BA), demonstrated organogenesis from 95% of the explants, with an average of approximately 6–8 shoots being produced per productive explant. Shoots elongated following transfer of the explant to a medium containing gibberellic acid. These elongated shoots were then transferred to soil, where about one-third of them successfully rooted.
Author notes
This work was supported in part by the Michaux Fund of the American Philosophical Society and in part by Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. The author thanks E.P. Pieters at Nor-Am Chemical Co. for supplying thidiazuron, and Ms. Susan Bentz (U.S. Arboretum) and Ms. Gail Futtle (Microplant Nurseries, Inc.) for supplying ‘Frontier’ elm trees. The author also thanks Debbie Stone and Patricia Herman for maintaining stock trees and tissue culture specimens, Mr. Bill Brinson (SIUE Photographic Services), as well as Drs. Jianping Cheng (USDA-ARS) and Frank Kulfinski (SIUE) for reviewing the manuscript.
2Assistant Professor.