Clonal approaches to growing black locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia ) in Hungary: a review

Summary Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is one of the most important stand-forming tree species in Hungary and its importance is increasing in many other countries. The clonal material of black locust is required for setting up seed orchards and for wood production. Thus, there is a need to develop reliable methods for vegetative propagation. Root cuttings and tissue culture are suitable means of propagating superior individuals or varieties and for capturing and replicating the superior traits of the selected trees using the micropropagation of shoot cultures. It has been possible to produce about 10 000 plantlets clonally in 1 year from 100 cultured shoots, and 80 per cent of these plantlets survived. The micropropagated trees were successfully transplanted into soil, hardened and grown in the field.