Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
A rapid and efficient in vitro culture method for Gerbera (Gerbera Jamesonii Bolus) that eliminates vitrification via subculturing
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Research Articles | Published: 15 December, 2025
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Keywords: Gerbera, In vitro regeneration, Subculture cycle, Rapid propagation, Shoot multiplication, Plant growth regulators
Abstract
A high-frequency in vitro regeneration technique was developed for two Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus) varieties by examining the effects of explant types and plant growth regulators in MS medium. Shoot vitrification is a major concern during in vitro propagation. This study highlights the importance of cytokinin and salt concentrations in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium in different subculture cycles to reduce vitrification. Among the three explants tested, flower buds showed the highest regenerative potential. Optimal shoot regeneration was achieved with 6.0 mg/L BAP and 1.0 mg/L NAA (T7), giving 73.30% regeneration within 7–8 weeks, with increased microshoots number and length. Vitrified shoots appeared during the third subculture cycle in T7 medium. However, approximately 30 uniform microshoots containing clamps were produced after performing the third subculture cycle on 1/2 MS medium with 2 mg/L BAP (TS4). In the fourth subculture cycle on TS4 medium, resulting clamps containing more than ~ 30 healthy microshoots enabled large-scale shoot production without morphological changes. Repeated subculture of segmented clamps on TS4 medium resulted in efficient shoot proliferation, avoiding vitrification and dependence on the subculture cycle or medium. An optimized rooting treatment using 1/2 MS medium with 0.5 mg/L IAA promoted complete plantlet development once needed. This approach shows commercial potential for rapid gerbera plantlet production.
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Author Information
Biotechnology Program, Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh