Affiliation: | (1) Department of Plant Biotechnology, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Zahle, P.O. Box 287, Lebanon;(2) Department of Plant Pathology, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Zahle, P.O. Box 287, Lebanon;(3) Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR GDPP, BP 81, 33 883 Villenave dOrnon cedex, France |
Abstract: | Elimination of Candidatus phytoplasma phoenicium from two infected Lebanese varieties of almond by using different tissue culture techniques is reported. Except for the oxytetracycline therapy which totally inhibited the development of explants, stem cutting cultures associated with thermotherapy, shoot tip cultures associated or not with thermotherapy, and shoot tip micrografting were all suitable, either for shoot regeneration or for elimination of phytoplasma from the two varieties. However, stem cutting culture coupled with thermotherapy seemed to be the most effective for regeneration of phytoplasma-free plantlets. |