In vitro propagation of cashewnut

In vitro plant propagation was developed for seedling shoot tips, leaf axils, and cotyledonary nodes of cashew, Anacardium occidentale. Factors affecting multiplication rate included age of explant source, explant type, medium composition, light requirements, and transfer frequency. Cotyledonary nodes produced more buds than other explant types. Nodes had a 90% viability when transferred daily to fresh medium containing activated charcoal for 7 d while exposed to continuous dark. Cultures were then exposed to low light illumination with weekly transfers. The phytohormone composition producing the most buds was 2.32 mu M kinetin, 9.12 mu M zeatin and 4.40 mu M BA. The highest frequency of rooted shoots was obtained by treating shoots with the bacterium, Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Plants also were recovered by induction of roots using auxin treatment on propagated shoots.