An Efficient Plant Regeneration System of <i>Hydrangea bretschneideri</i> Dipp via Stem Segments as Explants

Hydrangea bretschneideri Dipp is a highly popular ornamental plant for garden decoration. Genetic engineering technology has been successfully used in many plant species, but it is limited in Hydrangea. Here we established an efficient regeneration system by using stem segments as explants for the first time. In our study, the plant growth regulators (PGRs) were evaluated at the different regeneration processes, including axillary shoots regeneration and root induction. We found that the optimal concentration for axillary buds’ induction was 2.0 mgL^?1 6-BA and 0.5 mgL^?1 1 IAA, its highest induction rate was 70%. Moreover, the highest axillary shoots proliferation coefficient was 10.7 on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 2.0 mgL^?1 6-benzyladenine (BA), 0.2 mgL^?1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and 1.0 mgL^?1 gibberellin A3 (GA3). The highest frequency of root induction was 80.0 ± 0.06% by culturing the elongated shoots in 1/2 MS medium containing 0.1 mgL^?1 IBA. In summary, our study will provide an effective technology for large-scale propagation and important pathway for promoting the popularization and application of Hydrangea bretschneideri Dipp.