Successful propagation in vitro of apple rootstock MM106 and influence of phloroglucinol.

Successful ill vitro propagation of clonal apple rootstock MM 106 was achieved by cu lturing axi ll ary buds on MS basal medium with BAP (I mglL) , GA, (0.5 mg/L) and IBA (0. 1 mglL). Use of liquid mediu m (LM) in initi al cultures reduced phenol ex udati on to a greater extent and gave max imum sprouting percentage when transferred to so lid MS me.dium. Phloroglucinol (PG) did not enh ance sprouting of buds but increasl'!d the rate of multiplicati on when added in the medium. Maximum number of shoots were obtai ned when MS medium was supplemented wi th BAP (0.5 mg/L), GA, ( I mg/L) , IB A (0 .1 mg/L) and PG (100 mg/L). For rooting, ill vitro regenerated sheats were placed in IBA (30 mg/L) for 3 hr and transferred to solid ifI ed auxin free. medium. Rooting was recorded in about 80% of shoots. Inclusion of PG in rooting medium was not beneficial but shoot cu ltures grown in its presence gave higher rooting percentage. Rooted plantlets showed about 70% survival rate in palling mixture of sand : soil: perlite ( I: I: I) .