STUDIES ON THE PROPAGATION OF SOME ORNAMENTAL PLANTS BY TISSUE CULTURE

Abstract

Orchid flowers are the most fascinating and beautiful of all flowers. They are of highest value as cut-flowers and can be h'Town in garden beds, pots, hanging baskets, and indoor containers. Cultivation of orchid plants, both for plant sale as well as cut-flower production, has become a very profitable occupation. In spite oftheir commercial value, orchids have not yet gained the attention and popularity they deserve in Egypt.

Two orchid species, Laelia anceps and Cymbidium devonianum were used in this study. Results of this study could be abstracted in the following : 1 - For the multiplication of Laelia anceps and Cymbidium devonianum orchids by tissue culture teclmique it is better to use MS medium supplemented with 6-benzyl adenine (BA) at 1 ppm in order to encourage explant multiplication to get a lot of shoots. 2 - Rooting of the induced shoots could be achieved by growing these shoots on MS medium supplemented with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) at 10 ppm. 3 - In order to reduce the high expenses of the tissue culture teclmique for economic purposes, MS Medium could be substituted by some natural, cheap and easily available products such as broad bean, wheat com or rice flour. Chemical and honnonal analyses of these substances unveiled their richness of almost all elements represented in the standard MS medium, in addition to their content of a