Development of A Tissue Culture System from Immature Strawberry Fruits

ABSTRACT The potential for production of strawberry flavor from cells grown in plant tissue culture was investigated. Immature strawberry fruits from strawberry cultivars (Fragaria x ananassa Brighton, Earliglow, and Aptos) were cultured on modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with kinetin and 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Parameters that influence callus formation and growth rate including medium composition, phytohormone concentration and photoperiod were studied. Cultivars varied in their ability to initiate callus formation and of the three types identified, only the friable type II callus was capable of growth in liquid suspension culture. Medium composition, types and levels of phytohormones, and inoculum size influenced cell growth in liquid suspension culture.