In vitro propagation of Gundelia tournefortii L

Gundelia tournefortii L. is a perennial spiny herb, and a neglected plant, found in the Mediterranean regions. The young heads are consumed as fresh or cooked artichoke-like vegetable. Land cultivation and overgrazing are two major threats to the presence of Gundelia, and efforts are needed to save it from loss and to have it available for consumption. This study investigated the in vitro multiplication of G. tournefortii with emphasis on the chemical factors of the media and ex vitro acclimatization. An experiment was conducted for in vitro germination of seeds in relation to medium mineral composition, light or plant growth regulators. The best media for seed germination were agar-water and V 4 MS with 5.9 ìÌ Gibberellic acid (GA₃) in the dark (95 and 87% germination, respectively). Proliferation of shoots was investigated at different levels of zeatin, Benzyladenine (BA), and kinetin. Using high concentrations of zeatin (13.7 μM) or BA (8.9 μM) resulted in the highest growth parameters (number of shoots, shoot height, number of leaves, callus diameter). The effect of different levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and 1-naphtalene acetic acid (NAA) on rooting ability of microshoots was experimented. The best result in terms of root number and length was achieved at 2.7 μM NAA, 9.8 μM IBA, or 5.7 μM IAA. Rooting qualities were enhanced when 1.0 g activated charcoal was used in the rooting medium containing 2.7 μM NAA. Rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized ex vitro with 80% survival. Acclimatized plants were successfully grown in the greenhouse and did not show phenotypic variations.