Shoot organogenesis from mature leaf tissues
of two scented Pelargonium capitatum cultivars, ‘Attar of
Roses’ and ‘Atomic Snowflake’, grown in the greenhouse,
were optimized in the presence of thidiazuron (TDZ). The
protocol involved preculture of leaf sections on basal
Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with
10 lM TDZ, 4.4 lM of 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 5.4 lM
a-naphtaleneacetic acid (NAA) for a period of 2 weeks and
followed by subculture of explants to a fresh medium
containing 4.4 lM BA and 5.4 lM NAA. Frequency of
regeneration reached approximately 93% for both cultivars,
with the induction of more than 100 shoots per explant.
Regenerated plantlets were rooted on half-strength MS
medium supplemented with 4.4 mM sucrose and 8.6 lM of
Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). All regenerated shoots from
both cultivars developed roots when transferred to organic
soil mix, acclimatized, and successfully transferred to
greenhouse conditions. When regenerated shoots were
transferred to hydroponic conditions, frequency of survival
was 76.2 and 61.9% for ‘Attar of Roses’ and ‘Atomic
Snowflake’, respectively
