Plant regeneration from suspension culture of Iris germanica 1

In Iris germanica L., 'G1', 'Adorn' and 'Rococo', induction and proliferation of embryogenic calli were achieved by culture of leaf-base explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg l⁻¹ 2,4-D, 1 mg l⁻¹ kinetin, 200 mg l⁻¹ casein hydrolysate, 250 mg l⁻¹ proline, 30 g l⁻¹ sucrose and 2.5 g l⁻¹ gellan gum. Among these cultivars, however, only in 'G1' could a suspension culture be established using a liquid N6 medium with 1 mg l⁻¹ 2,4-D, 1 mg l⁻¹ kinetin, 200 mg l⁻¹ casein hydrolysate, 250 mg l⁻¹ proline and 30 g l⁻¹ sucrose. Murashige and Skoog medium with 1 mg l⁻¹ gibberellic acid (GA₃), 30 g l⁻¹ sucrose and 2.5 g l⁻¹ gellan gum was suitable for somatic embryo formation from suspension cells. When the somatic embryos were transferred to solid, growth regulator-free MS medium and subcultured monthly, 36 shoots were obtained from 20 mg suspension cells. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.