Influence of explant source, plant growth regulators and culture environment on culture initiation and establishment of Quercus robur L. in vitro

Suitable cytokinin supplements and culture environments havebeen determined for the initiation and establishment of shootcultures of Quercus robur seedling tissue. Initiation of axillaryshoot development from nodal explants required culture mediumsupplemented with BA (6-benzylamminopurine). The greatest numbersof stem segments for culture proliferation were obtained using1.0 mg I^-1 BA after 56 d culture. The frequency of shoot developmentand subsequent formation of multiple shoots at initiation wasinfluenced by the position of the nodal explant in the seedlingshoot, incubation temperature and daylength. Explants from basaland apical regions, which contained multiple axillary buds,produced the lowest frequencies of axillary shoot developmentand multiple shoot formation, many remained quiescent. Axillaryshoot development was greatest in single nodal explants excisedfrom the midstem positions, elongated regions of the shoot wherenodes were formerly associated with a leaf. Higher temperaturesstimulated shoot formation with greater numbers of stem segmentsfor culture multiplication being obtained from nodal explantsincubated at 25C. Axillary shoot development was promoted innodal explants maintained under daylengths of 16 h or more.Stem segments cut from axillary shoots which developed fromnodal explants were used to establish shoot multiplication cultureson medium supplemented with 0.4 mg I^-1 BA. Shoot formation fromstem segments was greater at higher incubation temperaturesof 25C and 30C. Multiplication coefficients for stem segmentsincreased after one subculture. Key words: Quercus robur, oak, micropropagation, cytokinin, temperature, daylength, rest, quiescence