THE USE OF KINETIN FOR THE EFFICIENT IN VITRO INITIATION OF SOME CULTIVARS OF STRAWBERRY

Strawberry is one of the first horticultural species introduced in the plant tissue culture technology. Nowadays microprogation technology is one of the most important techniques to produce plants with high quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress factors. The researches were carried out in the Biotechnology and Physiology laboratory of University of Pitesti, with the following cultivars of strawberry: Premial, Elsanta and Senga Sengana. The purpose of this study was to examine the reaction of strawberry in vitro cultures on different kinetin concentration. Terminal buds were dissected and cultured on Lee and Fossard medium (1977). The explants were incubated in a growth chamber under 16/8 h light/dark cycle at 22 – 24 oC. LF medium supplemented with kinetin (1.25 mg l-1) was found best for culture survival for all strawberry cultivars. Percentage survival of explants increased with increase in kinetin concentration from 0.5 mg l-1 to 1.25 mg l-1 for all strawberry cultivars