Factors affecting shoot development in apically dominant Acer cultivars in vitro.

Summary

Axillary shoot cultures of both Acer saccharinum L. ‘Pyramidale’ and A. platanoides L. ‘Crimson King’ displayed strong apical dominance and prolific basal callus in vitro, which was not conducive to rapid multiplication and rooting. Basal callus was reduced in ‘Pyramidale’ by replacing 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP-5μM) with zeatin (5μM), but this also reduced axillary shoot growth. The addition of 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (1-20 μM) altered callus development and promoted a concentration-dependent increase in axillary shoot growth. Supplementing medium with thidiazuron (0.005 and 0.05 μM) in addition to BAP (1 μM) enhanced shoot growth, especially with nodal shoot sections, and increased subsequent rooting. Although thidiazuron also increased basal callus, this correlated with better shoot growth in ‘Crimson King’. Selection of apical buds from ‘Crimsom King’ stockplants was essential for the establishment of sustainable cultures; axillary bud-derived expiants quickly died. Once shoots of ‘Pyramidale’ and ‘Crimson King’ had elongated, they could be readily rooted in vitro, and plantlets were successfully weaned under high humidity ‘dry fog’.