DIRECT BULBLET REGENERATION FROM STERNBERGIA FISCHERIANA (HERB.) RUPR. BULB SCALE EXPLANTS

Attractive golden yellow flowered Sternbergia fischeriana (Herb.) Rupr. multiplies very slow under natural conditions. The study reports multiplication of plants using 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 cm long bulb scale explants with two, three, four, and five scales attached by a thin base plate segment. Any concentration of 2,4-D 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 mg l(-1) in MS medium was ineffective to induce bulblet regeneration on any explant at 15 degrees +/- 1 degrees C. Discursive induction of one or two 0.1 cm diameter bulblets was noted at 24 +/- 1 degrees C on 0.5 cm long two-scale explants. Variable regeneration was observed on 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 cm long two-scale explants on MS basal medium containing combination of BAP and 0.2 mg l(-1) NAA. Maximum number of 5.0 +/- 0.5 bulblets per 0.5 cm long two-scale bulb explant was obtained on MS medium containing 8.5 mg l(-1) BAP plus 0.20 mg l(-1) NAA. The rooting as affected by the size of bulblet was achieved on MS medium containing 0.75 mg l(-1) NAA. The highest rooting was recorded on 0.47 cm diameter bulblets with 4.3 +/- 0.9 roots per bulblet and 3.7 +/- 0.4 cm long roots.