Micropropagation of lily (Lilium longiflorum) via in vitro stem node and pseudo-bulblet culture

A protocol for micropropagation of Lilium longiflorum using pseudo-bulblets from in vitro shoot-tip-derived stem nodes was developed. Shoot tips from stems of dormant bulbs were cultured on one-half Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. Stems from plantlets derived from the shoot tips were cut into nodal segments, which were then cultured on one-half MS medium supplemented with 1 mu M 6-benzyladenine (BA). Pseudo-bulblets formed on each node after 1 month. An average of 32 pseudo-bulb lets were formed on all nodes of the plantlet. Pseudo-bulblets gave rise to multiple shoots when cultured on one-half MS medium supplemented with 2.3 mu M BA. Shoots were rooted on one-half MS medium containing 1.1 mu M alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid. A continuous system of propagation by multiplication of pseudo-bulblets with no dormancy period was developed. The 80 flowering plants produced from shoot tip culture were acclimatized in the greenhouse for 3 months and then grown in the experimental garden for 8 months.