Direct shoot regeneration from lamina explants of two commercial cut flower cultivars of Anthurium andraeanum Hort.

Summary

Direct plant regeneration from flowering plant-derived lamina explants of Anthurium andraeanum Hort. cultivars Tinora Red and Senator was established on modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Cultivar difference, stage of source lamina and the position of explant in lamina, medium pH, and type of growth regulators significantly influenced direct plant regeneration. Explants from young brown lamina were superior to young green lamina. The half-strength MS medium containing 1.11 μM N⁶-benzyladenine (BA), 1.14 μM indole-3-acetic acid, and 0.46 μM kinetin at pH 5.5 was most effective for induction of shoot formation. Explants from the proximal end of the source lamina gave rise to a higher number of shoots compared to the mid and distal regions. Cultivar Tinora Red was more regenerative than Senator in terms of number of shoots per explant. The use of a lower BA concentration (0.44 μM) was essential for callus-free shoot multiplication during subculture. Regenerated shoots could be induced to form roots on half-strength MS medium supplemented with 0.54 μM α-naphthaleneacetic acid and 0.93 μM kinetin. More than 300 plantlets of each eultivar were harvested from a single source lamina within 200 d of culture. Most plantlets (95%) survived after acclimation in soil.