Micropropagation of Begonia rex Putz. by 6-benzyladenine and α-naphthalene acetic acid

Begonia (Begonia rex Putz.), an ornamental plant, is used for landscape and pot purposes. For efficient regeneration of this species, a simple protocol is presented. Leaf explants dissected from 7-month-old mother plants grown in a greenhouse were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 16 combinations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BA; 0.00, 0.50, 0.60 and 1.00 mg l-1) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA; 0.00, 0.10, 0.25 and 0.50 mg l-1). Here, we present a protocol includes single medium for maximum induction and growth of all traits related to micropropagation of begonia. The optimum plant growth regulators (PGRs) for maximal shoot number (44.33 per plant), node number (12.31 per plant), leaf number (76.25 per plant), root number (11.42 per plant), and root length (6.00 cm per plant) were 0.50 mg l-1 BA + 0.10 mg l-1 NAA. The plantlets regenerated in vitro with well-developed shoots and roots were successfully established in pots containing humus, sand and garden soil (2:1:1) and grown in a greenhouse with a 90 % survival rate. The regenerated plants were morphologically identical to the mother plants. The described protocol offers a simple and fast protocol for micropropagation of begonia for large-scale multiplication