Commercial micropropagation of five Alnus species

Clonal micropropagation was demonstrated as feasible on a commercial basis for several clones of five Alnus species. Approximately 60,000 ready-to-root individual shoots were multiplied in vitro on modified MS medium supplemented with 2.5–5 M BAP. A total of 15,500 shoots from different clones were rooted in vitro on half strength MS medium including 1–5 M IBA. They were transferred under mist conditions within a growth chamber illuminated with high pressure sodium lamps. Those conditions gave 99–100% plantlet survival after four weeks. Plantlets were then inoculated with selected Frankia sp. strains. These nodulated alder plants are under field evaluation at the Petawawa National Forestry Institute, Canadian Forestry Service in Chalk River, Ontario.