In vitro and ex vitro growth of micropropagated bulblets of Lilium longiflorum Thunb.

PABLO MARINANGELI; NÉSTOR CURVETTO

PHYTON - INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY BA ARGENTINA

Fundación Romulo Raggio

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 1999 vol. 64 p. 133 - 139

0031-9457

Micropropagated bulblets of Lilium spp. are susceptible to high loss when cultured ex vitro. The behavior of these bulblets after different in vitro and ex vitro growth periods was studied to evaluate the effectiveness of in vitro treatment on increasing bulblet size and biomass. Micropropagated bulblets of Lilium longiflorum cv. ‘Snow Queen’ were subcultivated in vitro for one, two, three, four, or five months, with a complementary period in soil for a total of six months in cultivation. Other micropropagated bulblets were cultivated directly in soil for one, two, three, four, five or six months. Bulblets increased their fresh and dry mass during the 5 months of in vitro growth, reaching an average fresh mass of 1.2 g.  Fresh mass of bulblets cultivated in pots averaged 0.7 g, by the end of 5 months. Survival of bulblets after in vitro treatment was about 98% compared to about 70% for bulblets that were not treated in vitro. Bulblet mass also strongly influences the sprouting pattern. Treatment including 3 months of in vitro growth plus 3 months of growth in pots show a considerable advantage over other treatments because of the higher proportion of plants with aerial shoots. Results suggest 3 months in vitro subcultivation as a practical approach for obtaining bulblets with higher biomass and survival, easier handling and better field performance.