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In vitro culture initiation and multiplication<br />

R. flava and R. leipoldtii produced callus with shoot initials on the media treatments<br />

with the highest concentrations <strong>of</strong> both cytokinins and auxins. These shoot initials<br />

and the shoots formed after one month from them, when transferred MS media with<br />

no plant growth regulators, also appeared vitrified and no roots or root initials were<br />

observed after 2 months.<br />

5.3.2 Explants from embryos<br />

R. diversiformis embryos only showed swelling, except for one embryo which only<br />

developed one rooted shoot (Figure 5.2).<br />

R. flava embryos produced significantly more shoots when placed on a medium<br />

supplemented with either 2.3 µM kinetin or 4.7 µM kinetin compared to the control<br />

(Figure 5.3). The number <strong>of</strong> R. flava shoots observed on a medium with 4.7 µM<br />

kinetin was significantly higher than the number <strong>of</strong> shoots produced by all other<br />

treatments except on a medium supplemented with 2.3 µM kinetin. Single non-rooted<br />

shoots and swellings were observed on a medium with no plant growth regulators.<br />

Non-rooted shoots, rooted shoot clusters and swelling were observed on a medium<br />

supplemented with 2.3 µM kinetin. Only one <strong>of</strong> the shoot clusters on this medium did<br />

not produce a root, this shoot cluster had callus at its base. Non-rooted shoots,<br />

rooted and non-rooted shoot clusters and callus were produced on a medium<br />

supplemented with 4.7 µM kinetin. Shoot clusters and callus was observed on media<br />

supplemented with 23.2 µM kinetin. All but one <strong>of</strong> the shoot clusters formed on media<br />

supplemented with 23.2 µM kinetin did not root (Data not shown). Shoots generated<br />

from callus appeared vitrified and they also did not root on MS media with no plant<br />

growth regulators.<br />

The number <strong>of</strong> shoots <strong>of</strong> R. minutiflora and R. monadelpha produced on media<br />

supplemented with kinetin was much lower than the number <strong>of</strong> shoots produced by<br />

R. flava embryos and is not significantly different from the number <strong>of</strong> shoots<br />

produced on a medium with no plant growth regulators (Figures 5.4 and 5.5). Table<br />

4.5 in Chapter 4 shows that most <strong>of</strong> the embryos <strong>of</strong> these species show an in vitro<br />

growth response. In all cases where shoots were not formed, only swelling <strong>of</strong> the<br />

embryo was observed for these two species. One swollen embryo <strong>of</strong> R. minutiflora<br />

rooted on a medium with no plant growth regulators. Single shoots and one small<br />

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