The Role of Alternative Methods of Nutrient Medium Sterilization in Micropropagation of Gardenia jasminoides

The aim of this study was to develop alternative sterilization methods that could replace the conventionally used autoclave device for sterilization of nutrient medium used in gardenia micropropagation. These alternative methods may, at the same time, eliminate some negative changes that can occur in nutrient medium because of autoclaving. Either microwave irradiation for differing times or chemical disinfectants in differing doses were utilized as alternative sterilization methods for the nutrient medium. These were compared with standard autoclave methods in the sterilization of the medium. In vitro Gardenia jasminoides shoots were used for all cultures. Microwaves were applied to the medium for 6, 8, and 10 minutes. Growth of gardenia shoots cultured on the autoclaved nutrient medium was significantly better compared to shoots grown on medium sterilized with the 10 minute microwave treatment in terms of shoot length, fresh and dry weight and shoot quality. In the second experiment, no pre cultured contamination occurred in the nutrient media in which either NaOCl was added at four concentrations of 0.002% -0.02% active chlorine or NaDCC was added at four dosages of 25-200 mg /l as sterilization agents. It has been determined that sterilization of nutrient media with either all concentrations of NaOCl or NaDCC at the low concentrations used in this study could be used as an alternative sterilization method to the autoclaving of nutrient media.