Working Toward A Micropropagation Technique For North American White Oaks

Oaks have an important role in landscape horticulture and urban forestry. There are numerous species native to a variety of habitats in North America and they readily hybridize between species within a taxonomic section (e.g. the white oak or red oak section). Yet their valuable characteristics have been severely underused due to the difficulty of vegetative propagation. Grafting often results in delayed incompatibility and cuttings do not easily root. Hybrids and unique types of oaks are rarely introduced to the nursery industry. This research investigated the potential for using micropropagation as a technique for the asexual propagation of oaks. Immediate challenges were to obtain responsive explants that produced elongated shoots (shoots [GREATER-THAN OR EQUAL TO] 1 cm), to control contamination during the initiation phase and to subculture shoots to achieve multiplication. Results showed 1 mg l-1 BA (6-benzylaminopurine) in Woody Plant Medium to have a significant effect (P