Optimizing culturing vessels for disease-free shoot proliferation in olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars

Researchers worldwide are striving to develop rapid, simple, disease-free and cost-effective methods for plant multiplication to produce healthy, high-quality plants. To achieve these objectives, a study was conducted at the Tissue Culture Laboratory, Agriculture Research Institute Tarnab, Peshawar, to investigate the influence of different culturing vessels on pathogen-free shoot proliferation in olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars. In vitro-proliferated shoots were cultured as single nodes under laboratory conditions on Rugini Olive Medium supplemented with zeatin (3 mg/L) using three different types of culturing vessels viz. test tubes with caps, test tubes with cotton plugs, and jars with lids. The choice of culturing vessel significantly affected the growth of both in vitro-proliferated olive cultivars, with the best results observed in jars with lids and test tubes with caps compared to test tubes with cotton plugs. The shortest time to shoot induction, highest shoot induction percentage, and enhanced plantlet fresh and dry weight, number of shoots per explant, number of leaves per shoot, shoot length, leaf fresh and dry weight, and percent leaf water content were recorded when cv. Gemlik was cultured in jars with closed lids, followed by test tubes with caps, and test tubes with cotton plugs. It is, therefore, recommended that cv. Gemlik be cultured in jars with lids for efficient micropropagation and growth.