Efficient Plant Regeneration of Garlic (Allium sativum L.) by Root-Tip Culture

Root apices from in vitro cultured garlic (Allium sativum) cloves of cvs. ABEN and GT96-1 were used as axenic explants for organogenic callus production and plant regeneration experiments. Explants cultured in media based on those of Chu and co-workers (N6) or Murashige and Skoog (MS) could induce organogenic callus after 8 wk culture in darkness. Both media were supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid ($2.2-4.5 \mu M$), alone or combined with 6-furfurylami-nopurine (kinetin,$2.3-4.6 \mu M$). Shoots started to grow 3 wk after culturing in the presence of light and the addition to culture media of$4.4 \mu M$ $N^{6}-benzyladenine$. Plants capable of producing microbulbs regenerated 6 wk later. Up to 170 plants$g^{-1} FW$callus were obtained when culturing was initiated in MS medium supplemented with$4.6 \mu M$kinetin and$4.5 \mu M$2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid.