Promoting effects of organic medium supplements on the micropropagation of promising ornamental Daphne species (Thymelaeaceae)

Three Daphne species (Thymelaeaceae) were propagated in vitro using media enriched with natural ingredients including coconut water, pineapple pulp, arabinogalactan, chitosan, and conditioned medium containing exudates of the green alga Desmodesmus subspicatus. High vigor of proliferative shoots and enhanced rooting efficiency were obtained. The propagation rate for shoot cultures of Daphne caucasica and Daphne tangutica increased significantly when cultured in the presence of 10 mlL(-1) coconut water or 10 mlL(-1) pineapple pulp. Addition of 10 mlL(-1) pineapple pulp, 10 mlL(-1) coconut water, or 20% conditioned medium to the culture medium stimulated organogenesis in D. caucasica. The percentage of rooted shoots in this difficult-to-root species reached 80% in enriched medium. Daphne jasminea plants rooted efficiently on media without growth regulators but supplemented with 10 mlL(-1) pineapple pulp or 10 mlL(-1) coconut water. Plants of D. caucasica and D. jasminea were successfully acclimatized to greenhouse conditions. Biochemical evaluation of pineapple pulp using thin-layer chromatography revealed the absence of natural auxins. However, the low-molecular-weight fraction (<500 Da) obtained via dialysis significantly stimulated rhizogenesis in each species tested.