Enhancing rooting consistency in Rosa damascena scions

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the rooting efficiency of Damask rose shoot explants on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 4 different concentrations of 3-indole butyric acid (IBA) in quarter, half and full mineral nutrient strengths. It was revealed that full strength MS medium even without IBA resulted in a high percentage of root formation after two months of culture despite the fact that the highest number of roots was observed in MS full strength and 2.0 mgL^-1 IBA. Results also show that gradual acclimatization was essential for subsequent establishment of plantlets in natural condition. The highest percentage of plantlet survival was observed in potting media mixture containing; sand, soil, organic materials and vermiculite. Several experiments were carried out to stimulate in vitro rooting of Damask rose. Application of different media such as MS, 1/2 MS and 1/4 MS with different concentrations of 3-indole butyric acid (IBA) such as 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 mgL^-1 and finally after analyzing and comparing all experiments results; it was observed that the most suitable rooting media for enhancing rooting efficiency in Damask rose are free full MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mgL^-1 IBA.

Key words: Damask rose, 3-indole butyric acid (IBA), Murashige and Skoog medium (MS).