REGENERATION OF EGGPLANT (SOLANUM MELONGENA L.) FROM ROOT EXPLANTS

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) was efficiently regenerated from cultured roots of 15-d-old seedlings on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.45 μM thidiazuron and 13.3 μM 6-benzyladenine. Within 28 d of culture initiation, induction of organogenic calluses and subsequent differentiation into shoot buds were observed. Shoot buds upon subculture to MS basal medium elongated into healthy shoots. Excised shoots (2–4 cm) were rooted on Soilrite® irrigated with water either in vitro or in vivo. Plants with well-developed root systems were established under field conditions after hardening in the glasshouse, where they developed into flowering plants and produced mature fruits with viable seeds.