INCREASED CO2 AND LIGHT PROMOTE INVITRO SHOOT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THEOBROMA-CACAO

Axillary shoots of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), induced in vitro with cytokinins (BA or TDZ), elongated and produced leaves only in the presence of cotyledons and/or roots. Detached axillary shoots, which do not grow in vitro under conventional tissue culture protocols, rooted with auxin and developed normally in vivo. Detached axillary shoots from cotyledonary nodes and single-node cuttings from mature plants were induced to elongate and produce normal leaves in the presence of 20,000 ppm CO2 and a photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 150 to 200-mu-mol.s-1.m-2. Subcultured nodal cuttings continued to elongate and produce leaves under elevated CO2 and light levels, and some formed roots. Subculture of microcuttings under CO2 enrichment could be the basis for a rapid system of micropropagation for cacao. Chemical names used: N-(phenylmethyl)-1H-purin-6-amine (BA); 1H-indole-3-butyric acid (IBA); alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA); thidiazuron (TDZ).