Tissue cultures of ‘Calita’ Japanese plum started from 5 to 7 mm long shoot tips proliferated at a rate of 10:1 to 20:1 per month when grown on a modified Murashige and Skoog medium with 3% sucrose, 0.75% agar and (in mg/liter) 0.4 thiamine HCl, 100 myo-inositol, 1.0 6-benzylamino purine (BA), 0.1 gibberellic acid (GA3) and 0.1 indolebutyric acid (IBA). Best rooting results were obtained with 2 or 4 mg/liter indolebutyric acid (IBA) at 21°C; raising the temperature to 26° or 30° slowed and decreased rooting unless 0.1 mg/liter GA3 was included in the medium. Activated charcoal in the medium drastically reduced rooting. Rooted cuttings were easily established in soil.
Received for publication June 9, 1979. Work supported by the C.N.R. Research Project “Biology of Reproduction,” Subproject 7 “Micropropagation.” Scientific Paper No. 123.
Research Scientist, C.N.R.
Graduate student supported by a C.N.R. grant.
Graduate student supported by a grant from Banca Operaia, Bologna.