In vitro growth of the bromeliad Alcantarea imperialis (Carrière) Harms with different concentrations of nitrogen

Abstract

In various ecosystems, many plants have been reduced in number or even eliminated from natural habitats, including the endangered ornamental bromeliad Alcantarea imperialis (Carrière) Harms. The in vitro culture is a tool that has been used for conservation of endangered species and widely used for the production of ornamental plants. This study aimed at investigating the influence of different nitrogen concentrations on the growth of plantlets of the bromeliad A. imperialis grown in vitro. Seedlings of A. imperialis were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium, supplemented with different concentrations of nitrogen (0.00, 3.75, 7.50, 15.00, 30.00, 60.00, 90.00, 120.00, and 175.00 mM) at 30 mmol m-2 s-1, at 12 hour photoperiod and 26±2°C for six months. The results showed that plants grown with 15.00 and 60.00 mM N showed the best growth.