Synergistic effect of benzylaminopurine and meta-Topolin combination for micropropagation of gerbera 'Pink Melody'

Gerbera (Gerbero jamesonii Bolus ex Hook. F.; Asteraceae), is one of the most economically important ornamental plants due to its aesthetic value. In the present study, we established a micropropagation method for the large-scale production of quality planting material of gerbera 'Pink Melody'. Eighty-six percent of the capitulum explants produced adventitious shoots (15.44 +/- 0.34 shoots per capitulum) on Murashige and Skoogs (MS) medium containing 2 mg L(-1)( )6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) after six weeks of incubation. The highest shoot multiplication rate (17 shoots per explant) was obtained on MS medium supplemented with BAP and meta-Topolin (each at 2 mg L-1) after eight weeks. The micro-shoots were successfully rooted (91.35%) on half-strength MS medium containing 2 mg L-1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) within four weeks. The micropropagated plantlets were acclimatized with a 97.5% survival rate and produced flowers with no visible morphological aberrations.