Micropropagation and root culture of Turkish endemic Astragalus chrysochlorus (Leguminosae)

Abstract

Efficient micropropagation and root culture protocols were developed for the endemic Astragalus chrysochlorus Boiss. & Kotschy. A high frequency of shoot formation (100%) and maximum multiplication (13 shoots per hypocotyl explant) were achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0.5 mg/L trans-Zeatin riboside (ZR). By using single regenerated hypocotyl explants, rooting was achieved at a rate of 93% on MS medium containing 2% sucrose without growth regulators. High frequency callus initiation and growth were achieved when single hypocotyl explants were inoculated on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Plant regeneration through indirect organogenesis was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L ZR. Root cultures were successfully established in liquid MS medium containing 0.5 mg/L alpha-Naphthaleneacetic acid. The optimised in vitro propagation, callus culture, and root culture protocols offer the possibility to use cell/root culture techniques for vegetative propagation and secondary metabolism studies on Astragalus L. species.