Micropropagation of salt tolerant grape rootstock variety ‘Ramsey’

Abstract

Micropropagation is a technique for rapid multiplication of plant in vitro. The present investigation was carried out to develop a protocol for micropropagation of salt tolerant grape rootstock variety ‘Ramsey’. The experiments were conducted at the plant Tissue Culture Laboratory – I of the Division of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessaraghatta, Bangalore. Various experiments were conducted and result were analysed and discussed. Decontamination of ‘Ramsey’ nodal cutting were best achieved when they were pretreated for 1 hour or 4 hour and surface sterilized for 10 minutes. With this treatment the percent survival was higher when compared to other treatments viz., the contamination rate was lower in the above treatments. Softwood nodal cuttings gave lower contamination rate. Induction of multiple shoots from nodal explants was best achieved with modified MS medium supplemented with 3 ppm BA. At this rate of BA maximum number of leaves and nodes also were obtained. At a concentration of 5 ppm BA in MS basal medium callus with pink colour pigmentation was obtained. Further, it was found that half strength MS was a better basal medium with 3 ppm BA for induction multiple shoot. Half strength MS gave rise to a sturdy plantlet with a good shoot and root system which could be directly acclimatized. Hardening was done using the closed sachet method with a very high survival percent.