protocol for in vitro germination and sustainable growth of two tropical mistletoes

We report a protocol for in vitro germination and sustainable growth of two tropical mistletoes, Dendrophthoe pentandra and Macrosolen cochinchinensis. Normal mistletoe shoots with haustoria have been produced using Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with coconut water (15-20% v/v) in ventilated culture vessels. Germination of mistletoes took place on hormone-free basal MS media, and the time needed for germination was much shorter for Macrosolen than for Dendrophthoe. After germination, further development of the mistletoes required a hormonal input from the medium. We found that 20 micromolar 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) did allow normal development of only Dendrophthoe, while coconut water (15-20% v/v) gave complete development of both species in ventilated culture vessels. Multiplication of these mistletoes is also possible via the callus stage using half-strength MS media supplemented with BA at various concentrations in ventilated culture vessels. This is probably the first report of a successful culture for the mistletoe genus of Macrosolen. Compared to Macrosolen, the nutritional and hormonal requirements for Dendrophthoe are less demanding, making the latter a useful model for further mistletoe research.