Establishment of an efficient micropropagation protocol for Cameron Highlands White Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) using a light emitting diode (LED) system.

• The establishment of micropropagation protocol for Cameron Highlands White Strawberry. • High multiplication rate in full-strength MS medium + 8 µM TDZ. • No damage to the cellular arrangement was observed on the treated in vitro plants in any of the light treatments using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). • Maximum acclimatization efficiency in hydroponic solution (100% survival rate). White strawberry is botanically a member of the Fragaria genus, which is a part of the Rosaceae family, which is primarily found in Japan, where it is a well-known premium fruit. Experiments were conducted to develop a micropropagation method for Cameron Highlands white strawberries (Fragaria x Ananassa). Freshly extracted achenes were surface sterilised with 30 and 40% Clorox®. Achenes germination was studied in vitro under various light spectra [cool white LED (17.0 μ mol/s), red LED (29.30 μ mol/s), blue LED (15.70 μ mol/s), red + blue LEDs (44.80 μ mol/s)] to study how light and different LED spectra affected shoot, root, and leaf growths of seedlings in the culture. Because both treatments have a 0% contamination rate and the same germination rate which is 78.77%, the 30% Clorox® treatment was chosen as the best surface sterilisation protocol for white strawberry achene germination. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies of seedlings germinated under various light treatments demonstrated that no damage to the cellular arrangement was observed in any of the light treatments. However, the stomata of seedlings treated with blue LED were found to be damaged and exhibit uneven structures. Shoot multiplication in the culture was determined by testing various concentrations of 6- benzylaminopurine (BAP) and thidiazuron (TDZ) using shoot tips (0.5 to 0.8 cm) from the 5-leaf stage of the in vitro plants. The highest mean number (6.50 ± 1.05) of shoots differentiated on MS medium with 8 µM TDZ. The regenerated plantlets were rooted on MS medium with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 0 (control), 1, 2, 3, and 5 µM. Rooting (50%) was the highest success with 1 µM IBA. All the rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized using hydroponics and field transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]