1998 Volume 67 Issue 4 Pages 632-634
Lateral buds from flower stalks of annual statice (Limonium sinuatum Mill. 'Early Blue') were cultured in vitro at 20°C or 27°C on a half strength Murashige-Skoog medium containing 0.01 mg·liter-1 NAA, 1.0 mg·liter-1 BA, 30 g·liter-1 sucrose, and 8 g·liter-1 agar. The emerging shoots were excised from clumps of multiple shoots and subcultured for 4 weeks at 20°C on a hormone-free rooting medium. The rooted plantlets were transplanted into pots and grown at 20°C. The bolting percentage of the plants derived from the primary culture at 20°C was 67%, whereas that of plants kept at 27°C was only 13%. When divided clumps of multiple shoots were subcultured twice for multiplication using the same medium as in the primary culture, plants failed to bolt. However, when comparable shoots were subjected to 2°C for 4 weeks during the final subculture for multiplication or rooting culture, almost all plants bolted. Repeated subculture for multiplication following the low temperature treatment resulted in a decrease in the bolting percentage. These results indicate that high temperature and repeated subculturing during in vitro multiplication cause a disappearance of the flowering potential of the micropropagated statice plants, whereas low temperature treatment during subculture can restore it.
