In Vitro Germination and Bulblet and Shoot Propagation for Wild Edible Eremurus Spectabilis M.bieb

Abstract

Eremurus spectabilis M.Bieb is consumed as a vegetable because of its nutritious characteristics. The plants are also used for medicinal purposes, in the cut flower industry as an ornamental geophyte, and in industry as a natural adhesive. The aim of the present study was to improve the in vitro propagation protocol for germination and bulblet/shoot formation ofE. spectabilis. For this purpose, E. spectabilis seeds were in vitro germinated in four different nutrient media: Murashige and Skoog (MS), Gamborg (B5), White (WH), and Shenk and Hildebrandt (SH). To stimulate bulblet and/or shoot regeneration, hypocotyls of 35-40-day-old in vitro-germinated plantlets were cut into 0.5-1.0 cm pieces, and the resultant explants were cultured in MS media containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mg L-1) + kinetin (0.5 mg L-1), thidiazuron (TDZ) (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mg L-1) + 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA) (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg L-1), and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mg L-1) + 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg L-1). The best outcomes for germination ratio (57.5%) were obtained from the B5 medium. In the third set of in vitro propagation experiments, 100% bulblet formation was achieved in TDZ (0.5 mg L-1) and NAA (0.5 and 0.1 mg L-1) combinations of MS media, and this was followed by 0.5 mg LA BAP-containing medium (81.3%). Shoot formation ratios with the same media combinations varied from 60-70%, and the number of shoots per explant varied from 1.4-2.4 shoots. Further in vitro propagation research is planned with larger bulb sizes to develop a protocol for rooting bulblets and/or shoots.