The effect of low initial medium pH on in vitro white poplar growth

The effect of low initial medium pH on shoot and root development of five white poplar (Populus alba L.) genotypes was tested. The shoot height, fresh mass of shoots per jar, dry mass of shoots per jar, number of roots, as well as the length of the longest root were measured and final pH of the media determined, after 35 days of culture in vitro. Three initial pH values of the medium were tested: 3.0, 4.0 and 5.5 as control. Agar solidification at pH 3.0 was not achieved after sterilization in autoclave, but it was successful after sterilizing in a microwave oven. The obtained results indicate that the tested genotypes are able to significantly influence the changes of media pH during culture. The effect of differences among the examined media was significant for biomass accumulation and final media pH. Generally, significantly higher values of fresh and dry shoot mass, shoot height and the longest root length were recorded on a medium with initial pH 3.0 then on a standard medium with pH 5.5.The implications of the obtained results for the improvement of in vitro propagation of white poplars are discussed. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 43007: Studying climate change and its influence on the environment: impacts, adaptation and mitigation