IN-VITRO MORPHOGENETIC RESPONSES AND PLANT-REGENERATION FROM PEPPER (CAPSICUM-ANNUUM-L CV EARLY CALIFORNIA WONDER) SEEDLING EXPLANTS

Explants from 13-d old pepper (CaPsicum annuum, L. cv. Early California Wontler) seedlings were cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different levels of 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzylamino purine (BAP). Multiple shoot-buds proliferated from the cut surfaces of cotyledon, shoot-tip and hypocotyl explants in one month. The best NAA to BAP combinations (mg/l : mg/l) for multiple shoot-bud regeneration of the above three explant types were 0.1 : 5.0, 0.0 : 5.0, and 0.1 : 10.0, respectively. Root explants did not express any new morphogenetic response in all hormonal combinations tested. Regenerated shoot-buds were excised from the explant and cultured in 1/2X or 1X MS medium supplemented with different levels of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) or NAA. When cultured in full strength MS medium with 0.5 mg/l IAA or 0.4 mg/l NAA, 70% of the buds rooted in one month. Plantlets were established successfully ex vitro under greenhouse mist and grown to maturity.