In vitro propagation of Alhagi maurorum (Fabaceae)

In vitro propagation of Alhagi maurorum (Fabaceae)Mustafa CUCE 1ORCID: 0000-0001-7406-171X1 Department of Food Technology, Şebinkarahisar School of Applied Sciences, Giresun University, 28400 Giresun, TürkiyeAbstractPurpose: In this study, a contribution was made to a reliable and reproducible in vitro propagation protocol of the rare plant species Alhagi maurorum, which belongs to the Fabaceae family and is of medicinal importance.Method: Mature seeds were used as the initial material. In germination studies, MS medium without any plant growth regulator and MS containing 1.0 mg L-1 GA3 were preferred as the basic medium. At the end of the germination culture period (4 weeks), MS medium supported with 1.0 mg L-1 GA3 was found to be superior with 60% germination success. In shoot multiplication studies, nodal segments obtained at the end of the 4th subculture were used as explants, and MS basal medium was tested by combining 6-BA, kinetin, 2iP, zeatin and TDZ (1.0 mg L-1 separately with IBA (0.1 mg L-1).Findings: The highest mean values per explant for shoot number (4.75), node number (7.50), fresh weight (0.985 g), and dry weight (0.1171 g) were obtained from MS medium containing zeatin + IBA. MS medium supplemented with kinetin + IBA reached the highest mean shoot length with 69.26 mm. In terms of root induction, the highest rooting percentage (90.3%) was obtained in MS media enriched with 1.0 mg L-1 IBA after 4 weeks. This concentration of IBA yielded the highest root number and root length with 5.86 and 38.80 respectively, in MS medium. Rooted plants were initially acclimatized in a climate chamber and then carefully transferred to greenhouse conditions.Conclusion: This propagation method can be considered for ex situ conservation and propagation of rare plant species of medicinal value.Keywords: Alhagi maurorum, rare endemic, zeatin, in vitro propagation