Factors that effect leaf regeneration efficiency in apple, and effect of antibiotics in morphogenesis

Several factors that affect the frequency of organogenesis in apple leaf explants were examined for the scion cultivars ‘Empire’, ‘Freedom’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Liberty’, ‘McIntosh’, and ‘Mutsu’ and for the rootstocks Malling 7A and Malling 26. The main factors affecting morphogenesis were BA concentration, basal medium, leaf explant origin and maturity, explant orientation, and photosynthetic photon flux. Depending on the genotype, optimal regeneration was obtained using either 22.2 or 31.1 μM BA and the N6 basal medium, with the exception of ‘Golden Delicious’ which regenerated better on MS medium. After 6 weeks, the average number of shoots per segment varied from 5 to 16, and the percentage of regeneration between 70 and 100%, depending on the genotype tested and the maturity of the explant. Regeneration capacity increased dramatically from the tip towards the base of the leaf, and was higher from the middle to the proximal end.