Micropropagation of Cereus peruvianus Mill. (Cactaceae) by Areole Activation

Currently, Cereus peruvianus plants can be rapidly cloned in vitro via adventitious organogenesis using callus cultures; however, somaclonal variation is a problem. A method is described herein using lateral bud explants to produce multiple shoots for clonal propagation. Apical and lateral explants were cultured on MS (Murashige and Skoog, 1962) media with factorial combinations of the auxins indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and cytokinins 6-benzyladenine (BA) and N-(2-furanyl-methyl)-1-purine-6 amine (kinetin) at the concentrations 0.0, 0.01, 0.1,$1.0\text{mg}\cdot \text{l}^{-1}$. Positive results were obtained from the lateral explants in all conditions tested, but apical explants did not respond to in vitro multiplication of C. peruvianus cactus at all growth regulator combinations tested. Formation of axillary shoots in C. peruvianus seems most frequent in medium containing BA at$1.0\text{mg}\cdot \text{l}^{-1}$(4.44 μM) and IAA or NAA at$1.0\text{mg}\cdot \text{l}^{-1}$(5.71 μM or 5.37 μM respectively), but the frequency of shoot formation in the BA or kinetin and NAA or IAA combinations indicated that any of the combinations tested can be used for multiplication of C. peruvianus plants regenerated from callus tissue culture. Root formation occurred in all (100%) of the cactus shoots after 9 wk in the same culture medium. All the cacti that developed at the different auxin and cytokin combinations continued growth after transfer to a potting mix of red earth (Paleudult) and ground river sand (1:1).