Propagation of Caladium bicolor (Aiton) Vent. by plant tissue culture technique

Abstract

Caladium bicolor (Aiton) Vent. is a valuable and widely planted ornamental plant because of variation in eccentric colors and shapes of leaves. This study aimed to micropropagation of C. bicolor. The young leaves segments from shoot were cultured on MS supplemented with 0, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 7.0 mg/l BA in combination with 0, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/l NAA, cultured for 12 weeks. The results showed that MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/l BA combined with 0.1 mg/l NAA induced the most average number of shoots (9.9 shoots). MS medium without plant growth regulators showed the highest average number of leave (44.1 leaves). Callus and shoots were then cultured on MS without plant growth regulators for 1 month before transferred to MS medium supplemented with 0, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 7.0 mg/l BA and Kinetin and 10, 15 and 20% coconut water, all treatment were then cultured for 8 weeks. The results showed that MS medium containing 10% coconut water was the best shoot multiplication and gave the highest average number of shoots (4.4 shoots) and leaves (9.8 leaves). Shoots from the first experiment were then transferred to the same treatments, it was found that MS medium added with 3 or 5 mg/l BA or 10% coconut water can induce the highest average number of leaves (16 leaves). Seedlings were transferred to MS medium supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/l NAA for root induction and cultured for 8 weeks. It was observed that MS medium without plant growth regulators can induce the highest percentage of root induction (87.5%) and MS medium supplemented with NAA 0.5 mg/l can induce the highest average number of root (17.8 roots/shoot). All healthy regenerated shoots and roots were then transplanted on plastic pots observed for 4 weeks. It was found that the highest survival rate of plantlets observed was 80%.