In vitro response of apical bud explants from mature trees of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

A tissue culture technique for rapid vegetative propagation of mature jackfruit trees using apical bud cultures has been developed. Shoot-tip cultures were established on MS medium with 5–10 mm explants dissected from terminal buds of new growth from trunk. After initial culture of bud explants, one- to two-node pieces were taken from the microshoots formed and used to proliferate further axillary shoots for multiplying and maintaining shoot cultures. Benzyladenine and kinetin (4.5–9.0 µM), either separately or together, supported shoot proliferation; higher concentrations of the cytokinins inhibited bud breaking and favoured callus formation at the explant bases. Bud explants taken from emerging trunk sprouts invariably produced clumps of multiple shoots, whereas buds obtained from actively growing top branches generally elongated to form a solitary shoot. November to January was the best season for initiation of cultures from field-grown trees. Shoots proliferated at the initial subcultures had mature morphology and were difficult-to-root. Shoots assumed to be juvenile-like developed at the later passages and could be rooted with 60–80% success using 1/2-MS salts and 10 µM of indolebutyric acid or naphthaleneacetic acid. Regenerated plantlets were transferred to the soil and about 50% survived.