Micropropagation of Two Ornamental Grasses, Schizachyrium scoparium and Sporobolus heterolepis

Efficient micropropagation systems were established for two ornamental grasses, Schizachyrium scoparium cv. “The Blue” and “Minn Blue A” and Sporobolus heterolepis cv. “Tara”. Meristems were used to initiate in vitro cultures, and adventitious shoots were induced using various NAA and BA treatments. In vitro shoots of Schizachyrium scoparium could multiply well on both MS solid medium and MS liquid medium supplemented with various combinations of NAA and BA, with the shoots from liquid medium growing stronger and faster. Roots were induced using MS medium supplemented with 0.1-0.5 mg/l of IBA or NAA for Schizachyrium scoparium, while for Sporobolus heterolepis, roots were induced from MS medium without any growth regulators. The multiplication rate of our propagation system after 4 weeks was 7-fold for Schizachyrium scoparium and 4-fold for Sporobolus heterolepis.