Response of Running Shoot tips of Strawberry (Fragaria x ananasa) for in vitro Propagation in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananasa) is grown for its excellent food and nutritional value in many parts of the world. The main objective of this study was to optimize an efficient, reliable and economical protocol for In vitro propagation of strawberry plants. The effect of BAP (6-Benzyl amino purine) alone or combined with (Gibberellic acid, Kinetin, IBA) and the effects of TDZ (Thidiazuron) on shoot proliferation of strawberry (Fragaria x ananasa) has been evaluated. It has been noticed that 2.0 mgl-1 BAP combination with 0.25 mgl-1 IBA able to generate the maximum number of shoots / explants (6.375) with high shoot length ( 0.675 cm) and high leaves number /explants (19.0). On the other hand, presence of 1.5 mgl-1 of TDZ in the nutrient medium increased the shoot number/explants to (7.335) as compared to BAP treatments. The proliferated shoots were subjected to full strength MS media supplemented with 0.75 mgl-1 IAA give the optimal ratio of rooting. Survived rooted plantlets were acclimatized gradually and successfully transferred under greenhouse conditions for hardening