The Production of Virus-Free Rhubarb by Apical Tip-Culture

The apical tip-culture technique has been used to produce virus-free rhubarb from infected plants of the varieties Timperley Early, Victoria and Prince Albert. Growth on various nutrient media was compared. The survival rate of the tips was directly related to their size within the range 300–2,500 μ (diam.). After initial culture on filter paper in sterile tubes, the young plants were transferred to autoclaved sand watered with mineral nutrient on which they made better growth than on other media.

Turnip mosaic, cherry leaf-roll, strawberry latent ringspot and cucumber mosaic viruses, in various combinations, were eliminated by this method. Arabis mosaic was removed from most plants but a few retained this virus. This retention was not related to the size of the tip taken.