Use of Different Melon and Watermelon Fruit Extracts as a Carbon Source and Gelling Agents in Potato Micropropagation - Abstract
The aim of the research was to determine the effects of melon and watermelon fruit extracts and low agar concentrations on in vitro propagated plants of potato. In this research, melon and watermelon fruits were used as experimental material. The plant traits such as leaf growth, root development, plant growth , plant vigour, plant height, number of nodes per plant, internode length and plant height were measured and evaluated after 30 days incubation period. One of the most important plant characteristic for in vitro potato propagation was number of nodes per plant which was obtained for the medium MS + 0.5% melon flesh with seeds + 20 g/l sucrose + 5 g/l agar. There was a significant relationship between number of nodes per plant and fresh weight and plant height. Potato plants grown on media with 20% melon flesh + 3 g/l agar and 0.5% melon flesh with seed and 2% sucrose + 5g/l agar as a carbon sources had equal plant growth characters compared to using medium with 3% sucrose. Melon extract media were well capable in performing optimum plant growth and development specially an increasing the number of nodes per plant (a fundamental of propagation rate). Hence, it was concluded that the combination of low concentration of agar and melon extract in the solid medium could offer a good supporting surface for potato micropropagation.