Mannitol and Sorbitol Improve Uniformity of Adventitious Shoots Regeneration in Echinacea purpurea L. Moench

Abstract

Mannitol or sorbitol was added into the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium contain-ing certain concentrations of 6-Benzyladenine (BA) which was used to induce adventi-tious buds of Echinacea purpurea L. Results showed that the induced adventitious buds growing from medium added with 15 g · L - 1 mannitol or sorbitol of the same con-centration were more consistent in height. The regener ation rates in MS medium containing 0.2 mg · L - 1 BA and 15 g · L - 1 mannitol were increased, while in MS medium containing 0.2 and 0.5 m g · L - 1 BA, and 15 g · L - 1 sorbitol, the regeneration rates were suppressed. On the other hand, genotype of explants and the concentration of BA in-fluenced the incidence of hyperhydricity, and the hyperhydricity of regenerated buds was more severe when the petiole explants were inoculated on medium with 15 g · L - 1 mannitol or 15 g · L - 1 sorbitol. The present study offers new possibility to the production of uniform plantlets for commercial cultivation in this important medicinal plant.