Search

Orchids, with their astonishingly stunning flowers, dominate the international floricultural market. They are considered prized assets for commercial applications in pharmaceutical and floricultural industries as they possess high therapeutic properties and superior ornamental values. The alarming depletion of orchid resources due to excessive unregulated commercial collection and mass habitat destruction makes orchid conservation measures an extreme priority. Conventional propagation methods cannot produce adequate number of orchids, which would meet the requirement of these ornamental plants for commercial and conservational purposes. In vitro orchid propagation using semi-solid media offers an outstanding prospect of rapidly producing quality plants on a large scale. However, the semi-solid (SS) system has shortcomings with low multiplication rates and high production costs. Orchid micropropagation using a temporary immersion system (TIS) overcomes the limitations of the SS system by reducing production costs and making scaleup and full automation possible for mass plant production. The current review highlights different aspects of in vitro orchid propagation using SS and TIS and their benefits and drawbacks on rapid plant generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassavola nodosa (L.) Lindl. is an epiphytic orchid with great potential for the ornamental plant industry. The lack of information on propagation and production techniques limits the development of large-scale commercial production. Furthermore, this species is experiencing a reduction in population due to habitat destruction, the impact of climate change, and over-collection from native habitats. This study aimed at developing an efficient protocol for micropropagation of B. nodosa, which could be valuable towards the large-scale commercial production as well as for conservation of this species. Six different concentrations of plant growth regulators (BA or IBA, with or without adenine sulfate) were evaluated in modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium for shoot multiplication. In addition, two concentrations of either NAA or IBA were evaluated for rooting. Explants were cultured under three different culture media conditions: semi-solid medium, liquid medium (partial immersion), and liquid medium (complete immersion). Results indicate that B. nodosa could be successfully micropropagated in liquid culture with partial immersion. The modified MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg L−1 BA and 30.0 mg L−1 adenine sulfate resulted in higher multiplication rates. Rooting was obtained using either 0.5 mg L−1 NAA or 1.0 mg L−1 IBA with no significant differences between both rooting treatments. Plantlets achieved 100% ex vitro survival after 30-d acclimatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]