Micropropagation of adult avocado

Abstract

A procedure has been developed to successfully micropropagate the IV-8 selection, an adult avocado rootstock. Cultures were initiated from basal shoots obtained after pruning a tree back to ground level. Buds sprouted in Murashige and Skoog solid medium with macroelements at half strength and a 1.3 μM benzyladenine supplement. To induce proliferation, shoots were cultured for 2 weeks in liquid medium in a rollordrum with the Gamborg salt formulation and 1.3 μM benzyladenine, followed by 6 weeks in double phase conditions (solid medium with a layer of liquid medium on the top) using the same salt formulation and two different benzyladenine supplements, 2.8 μM in the solid phase and 0.4 μM in the liquid phase. Ninety percent of the shoots rooted after a 3-day culture in liquid medium in a rollordrum with MS macroelements at 0.3× and 4.9 μM indolebutyric acid, followed by transfer to solid medium in the absence of auxin but with 1 g l⁻¹ activated charcoal. Survival rate during the acclimatization in the greenhouse was 70%.