Effect of medium pH on axillary shoot proliferation of selected Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. cultivars

Abstract

The influence of initial medium pH on long-term axillary shoot proliferation was tested in Anderson's media supplemented with 0.5 mg.l-1 zeatin with initial pH adjusted to 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0 before autoclaving, with the aim of increasing shoot proliferation in Vaccinium vitis idaea L. cv. Koralle and Red Pearl. Shoot proliferation using in-vitro-derived single-node segments was markedly influenced by the cultivar and medium pH. Shoot proliferation was significantly higher in cv. Koralle (6.92 shoots/explant) than in cv. Red Pearl (5.61 shoots/explant) at different culture medium pH. The study confirmed the importance of properly adjusted initial culture medium pH for effective shoot proliferation. For cv. Koralle, medium pH 5.5 was the most favorable for shoot proliferation. For cv. Red Pearl, the number of shootsformed was highest at pH 4. © Polish Academy of Sciences and Jagiellonian University, Cracow 2010.