Abstract:An efficient and rapid micropropagation system by using auxiliary buds as explants has been established for Musella lasiocarpa. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 4.0 mg L-1 6-benzylaminopurine, 0.2 mg L-1 1-naphthaleneacetic acid, 150 mg L-1 vitamin C, 10% coconut milk and 3% sucrose was suitable for shoot induction and proliferation from divided buds. Each explant produced an average of 4.10 shoots after 60-day culture. After the sixth subculture, the shoot proliferation rate of plantlets was 4.23-fold. The half-strength MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L-1 indole-3-butyric acid and 150 mg L-1 activated charcoal was suitable for rooting. When micropropagated plantlets with well-developed root systems were transferred to planting bed containing a mixture of sand, sieved peat and perlite (1:1:1; v/v) in a greenhouse, 93.5% of the plantlets survived. About 10 000 plantlets were produced successfully for field transfer after 12 months of culture initiation. This production system is useful for ex situ conservation and large-scale multiplication of M. lasiocarpa.
