2018 ASHS Annual Conference

The utilization of tissue culture for rapid multiplication and micropropagation has become one of the fundamental ways ornamental plants are propagated for the nursery trade. Cornus mas L. (Cornelian cherry) is an underutilized ornamental landscape plant that boasts an early flowering habit and edible fruits. With it being an underutilized plant, little information regarding tissue culture of this species exists. The objective of this study was to evaluate and expand the micropropagation protocol developed by Ďurkovič (2008). Ďurkovič’s evaluation was limited, it did not focus on evaluating nutrient salt formulations and the impact on microshoot development and subsequent development. In this study, three different nutrient salt formulations were evaluated: Murashige and Skoog, Woody Plant Media, and LP. These nutrient salt formulations were compared in a factorial experiment with two plant growth regulators (PGRs): 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The concentrations of the two PGRs used in the factorial were 0, 2, and 4 µM for BA and 0 and 0.5 µM NAA. The plant material used was 6-week old explants of the cultivar ‘Schonbrunner Gourmet’ grown on LP medium supplemented with 2.0 µM BA and 0.5 µM NAA, 30 g/L sucrose, 7 g/L agar, and adjusted to a pH of 5.8. Each treatment was replicated seven times in both runs and the experimental design was a CRD factorial. Plantlets were subcultured three times at six-week intervals for a total of 18 weeks of incubation time. The LP medium supplemented with 2.0 µM BA and 0.5 µM NAA significantly performed better than the other media types with respect to shoot number and microshoot quality. This is contrary to Ďurkovič’s claim that a modified WPM media is best for micropropagation of C. mas. In conclusion, micropropagation can be seen as a viable method for propagation of the species.