Shoot regeneration from stem and leaf explants of Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev (syn. Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.)

Adventitious shoots were regenerated from leaf and stem explants of eleven chrysanthemum cultivars. The optimum medium for both explant types contained Murashige & Skoog basal medium supplemented with 5 M 6-benzylaminopurine and 5 M -napthaleneacetic acid. Generally, stem explants were superior to leaf explants. There were large cultivar differences in shoot regeneration frequency with three cultivars failing to respond over a wide range of hormone combinations. Shoots on stem explants appeared mainly to originate from cortical cells which rapidly divided and ruptured the epidermis. Regenerated shoots could be easily rooted, transferred to glasshouse conditions, and grown to flowering. All regenerated plants had the same morphological characteristics compared to plants derived from nodes.Supported in part by the National Biotechnology Program Research Grants Scheme in collaboration with Calgene Pacific P/L, Victoria, Australia.