Mass regeneration of shoots from cut surfaces of stems in tomato stock plants

Abstract

Multiple tomato shoots were regenerated from calli formed on pruning wounds of young stock plants. Plants that unfolded their 10th true leaf were decapitated between the 7th and the 8th true leaves to force numerous lateral shoots. When these shoots were cut just beneath their first leaf, numerous adventitious buds differentiated from calli that developed into shoots. During 36 days after heading back lateral shoots, 79 shoots were regenerated from the stock plant. More than 62.5% of the lateral shoots developed calli from which additional shoots differentiated. The average number of shoots regenerated from each lateral stem increased with higher leaf positions. Thus, a reliable method is offered to regenerate multiple shoots from young stock plants.