Regulation of Organ Formation by Cytokinin and Auxin in Lilium Bulbscales Grown In Vitro

Regulation of organ formation by cytokinin and auxin was investigatedin vitro using Lilium auratum Lindl. (wild species habituatedin Japan) and Lilium speciosum Thunb. cv. "Uchida". The interactionof -naphthylacetic acid (NAA) and kinetin on bulbscale or rootdifferentiation was examined. NAA and kinetin showed mainlyindividual but also some synergistic effects. The effects ofbenzyladenine (BA) and kinetin were compared and the resultindicated that BA has a stronger physiological effect on organformation than kinetin and that their effects on Lilium auratumand Lilium speciosum were BA or kinetin-specific. The actionof kinetin on Lilium was affected by sucrose concentration andthe strength of the Murashige and Skoog medium (MS medium),and thus their high concentrations inhibited the kinetin-inducedbulbscale differentiation. Furthermore, a high sucrose levelnegated the kinetin inhibition of root formation, while highMS medium strength in itself inhibited root formation. Morphologicalobservation of bulbscale differentiation induced under a highkinetin level revealed that the new-formed structures are homologousto normally grown bulbs in soil in spite of their particularfeatures. (Received August 3, 1981; Accepted November 2, 1981)