INORGANIC SALTS AND INDOLEBUTYRIC ACID ON in vitro ROOT INDUCTION IN Agave angustifolia SHOOTS

Abstract

Adventitious shoots of Agave angustifolia were obtained through the in vitro culture of stem tissue. Shoots 3.5 to 4 cm long were transferred to 145 mL, flasks which contained 20 mL of different sterilized media, to induce the root formation. The culture media had: 1) 0.4 mg L-1 of thiamine, 100 mg L^-1 of myo-inositol, 30 g L^-1 of sucrose; 2) 50 %, 75 % and 100 % of concentration of the Murashige and Skoog´s inorganic salts; and 3) 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 mg L^-1 of indolebutyric acid (IBA). All shoots formed roots, including those established in media without IBA. In media without IBA the shoots formed 4.2 roots in 14 d, and 5.8 leaves in the average. The number of roots per shoot was higher as the IBA concentration increased and the salt concentration in the medium decreased. The shoots established in media with 75 % of the MS inorganic salts and 0.75 mg L^-1 of IBA, produced 8.6 adventitious roots in 7 d and 6.4 leaves, in the average.