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Micropropagation of African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl.)

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Protocols for Micropropagation of Selected Economically-Important Horticultural Plants

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 994))

Abstract

Micropropagation is an important tool for rapid multiplication and the creation of genetic variability in African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl.). Successful in vitro propagation depends on the specific requirements and precise manipulation of various factors such as the type of explants used, physiological state of the mother plant, plant growth regulators in the culture medium, and growth conditions. Development of cost-effective protocols with a high rate of multiplication is a crucial requirement for commercial application of micropropagation. The current chapter describes an optimized protocol for micropropagation of African violets using leaf explants obtained from in vitro grown plants. In this process, plant regeneration occurs via both somatic embryogenesis and shoot organogenesis simultaneously in the explants induced with the growth regulator thidiazuron (TDZ; N-phenyl-N′-1,2,3-thidiazol-5-ylurea). The protocol is simple, rapid, and efficient for large-scale propagation of African violet and the dual routes of regeneration allow for multiple applications of the technology from simple clonal propagation to induction or selection of variants to the production of synthetic seeds.

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Acknowledgement

This research was supported by grants from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Mukund Shukla, J. Alan Sullivan & Praveen K. Saxena

  2. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Shri Mohan Jain

  3. University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, Canada

    Susan J. Murch

Authors
  1. Mukund Shukla
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  2. J. Alan Sullivan
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  3. Shri Mohan Jain
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  4. Susan J. Murch
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  5. Praveen K. Saxena
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Shri Mohan Jain or Praveen K. Saxena .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , IVALSA/Istituto per la Valorizzazione, National Research Council (CNR), Polo Scientifico, via Madonna del Piano n. 10, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, 50019, Italy

    Maurizio Lambardi

  2. , Istituto per la Valorizzazione del Legno, National Research Council (CNR), n/a, Florence, n/a, Italy

    Elif Aylin Ozudogru

  3. , Department of Agricultural, University of Helsinki, 5 Latokartanonkaari Room C 130, Helsinki, 00014, Finland

    Shri Mohan Jain

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Shukla, M., Sullivan, J.A., Jain, S.M., Murch, S.J., Saxena, P.K. (2012). Micropropagation of African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl.). In: Lambardi, M., Ozudogru, E., Jain, S. (eds) Protocols for Micropropagation of Selected Economically-Important Horticultural Plants. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 994. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-074-8_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-074-8_22

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-62703-073-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-62703-074-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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