REGENERATION OF PLANTS FROM CALLUS-TISSUE OF THE PASTURE LEGUME LOTONONIS-BAINESII

In vitro regeneration of plants from both cotyledon-, and leaf - derived calli of Lotononis bainesii Paker was studied under defined nutritional, hormonal and environmental conditions. Explants from both, cotyledons from seedlings of 4 days old and fully expanded leaves from mature plants, were cultured on MS medium containing 0.8% agar and supplemented with 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/l concentrations of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 0.1, 1, and 3 mg/l levels of benzyladenine (BA) in various combinations. Multiple shoot (on an average 4 shoots per callus) regeneration from primary callus occurred within 15 to 35 days of culture in most of the media tested. Although the best medium for shoot regeneration from cotyledon-derived callus contained NAA and BA at 1, and 0.1 mg/l levels, respectively, maximal shoot regeneration from leaf-derived calli was achieved by using NAA and BA at 0.01 and 0.1 mg/l, respectively. Roots were induced to differentiate by transferring the regenerated shoots onto a medium lacking growth regulators.