Effect of the salts of the Murashige & Skoog and Knudson culture media on the in vitro culture establishment of Epidendrum schomburgkii Lindl.

Abstract

Orchid multiplication is often an impediment to the commercial success of important species. In order to have a sowing technique to evaluate the initial growth of Epidendrum schomburgkii Lindl., seedlings from sexual seed 20 mm high were inoculated in vitro in two basal media: Murashige & Skoog (MS) and Knudson (KN) at concentrations of 25 %, 50 %, 75 % and 100 %. After 118 days of cultivation, an average of 5.88 live shoots with an average height of 92.80 mm and an average root length of 80.74 mm were obtained. Significant differences were found for the number of live shoots between concentrations, greater stem height and greater root length, as well as in the mean x concentration interaction. A completely randomized statistical design was applied in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement, and the SPSS, INFOSTAT and BIOSTAT tests were used for the analysis. In general, the values for MS medium were higher compared to KN medium. Regarding the length of the longest stem, we did not find a statistically significant difference between concentrations, but a clear difference in trends (negative for MS and positive for KN). The growth of roots and stems was visibly higher with the MS medium, with an optimal concentration of 25 %. Therefore, when evaluating the formulas and applied doses, it is concluded that the MS medium at a concentration of 25 % offers the best response in the development of propagules.