VITROPLANTS OF Agave angustifolia HAW. OBTAINED IN CONTRASTING INCUBATION ENVIRONMENTS, ACCLIMATED ON DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES

Abstract

Agave species are used to obtain fibers and sugars. In Oaxaca, Mexico, there are 10 thousands hectares cultivated with various species of this genus, and 80 % of this area is cultivated with A. angustifolia Haw. Plantations are established with asexually propagated plants, coming from structures such as rhizome sections, inflorescence bulbils and plants obtained by micropropagation. The in vitro culture environment affects the physiological and morphological characteristics of micropropagated plants, and their adaptation to ex vitro conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the incubation environment and the substrate used for the acclimatization of A. angustifolia plants obtained in vitro, on their survival, morphological characteristics and growth. Adventitious shoots were rooted in the lab with LED lighting. Regenerated plants were grown for 31 days in two incubation environments, laboratory with LED lighting or partial shade structure. For acclimation, the plants were transferred to substrates containing peat (T) and perlite (P) in proportions 50T:50P, 25T:75P and 0T:100P, remaining for 65 days in a structure with partial shade and 30 days in a nursery. After 65 days of acclimatization, 100 % of the plants from both in vitro cultures incubated in the partial shade structure and in the laboratory, survived when they were established in 50T:50P substrate. At the end of acclimatization, plants originating from cultures incubated in the partial shade structure, which grew in the 0T:100P substrate, had larger stem diameter, number of roots, root volume, aerial and root dry weight, and lower height, number of leaves and leaf area than plants from in vitro cultures incubated in laboratory.