INVITRO-PROPAGATION OF THE NITROGEN-FIXING TREE-LEGUME ACACIA-MANGIUM WILLD

In vitro propagation was initiated from 2-week-old and 7-month-old explants of Acacia mangium. Juvenile explants (2 week-old) of 5- to 10-mm lengths composed of two leaves were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 1.0 or 2.0 mg L-1 6-benzyladenine (BAP). After 6 weeks, most explants had formed a large cluster of 14-18 axillary shoots produced by prolific branching of the primary axillary shoot after elongation. The maximum multiplication rate (40) was obtained in the first subculture; the rate decreased to 10-20 in the second one. The mean length of shoots was not significantly affected by BAP concentrations during the subsequent cultures. Rooting ability of juvenile explants was greatly affected by BAP concentrations used in the multiplication medium. When both types of explants were multiplied on a MS medium containing 1.0 mg L-1 BAP and transferred to a half-strength MS medium containing 0.05 mg L-1 IBA, only 10% of the juvenile explants were rooted versus 70% of the 7-month-old explants. Rooted plants transferred onto artificial substrate were all nodulated, when inoculated with a specific Bradyrhizobium sp. strain.