Studies on standardization of in vitro culture establishment and shoot multiplication of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.)

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out at the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory and Experimental Farm of Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP). The experiments were laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (factorial) consisting of two cultivars i.e. ‘Parendillo’ and ‘Yellow Star’. Out of the two carnation cultivars under study, ‘Parendillo’ showed superiority over ‘Yellow Star’ for all the characters observed during in vitro propagation. Shoot tips were rated better explants than nodal sections for mass multiplication in carnation cultivars. A protocol was developed for production of high quality virus indexed carnation plants in vitro. For culture establishment, MS medium supplemented with 2.5 mgl-1 BA showed maximum per cent response. High quality shoots could be produced from shoot tip raised shoots in multiplication medium containing 2 mgl-1 BA, 0.1 mgl-1 NAA and 1 mgl-1 GA3. The in vitro multiplied shoots were serologically indexed using DAS-ELISA for important carnation viruses viz. Carnation Latent Virus (CLV), Chrysanthemum Virus B (CVB) and Chrysanthemum Aspermy Virus (CAV). All the shoots showing multiplication under in vitro conditions were tested free of viruses.