Regeneration of Blueberry Plantlets from Leaf Segments

Abstract

A procedure to regenerate shoots in vitro from leaf sections of two blueberry genotypes, ‘Berkeley’ and ‘Bluehaven’, in Woody Plant Medium was established. The effect of 20 combinations of growth regulators: NAA at 0, 1, 2, and 4 µM and 2iP at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 µM were compared. Combinations containing NAA generally promoted callus formation and suppressed shoot regeneration. Conversely, media containing cytokinin promoted shoot regeneration and suppressed callus formations. The optimal medium for shoot regeneration contained 15 µM 2iP but no NAA. This procedure was highly efficient (70%–100%) in producing large numbers of shoots in a relatively short period (4 weeks). Chemical names used: N -(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1- H -purine-6-amine (2iP); 2-(l-naphthyl)acetic acid (NAA).