Micropropagation of passion fruit from subcultured multiple shoot primordia

A technique for long-term micropropagation of Passiflora edulis from subcultured multiple shoot primordia is described. Excised tissues from leaves cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS medium) supplemented with 3% (w/v) sucrose, 1 mu molL(-1) 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) and 1 mu molL(-1) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) formed multiple shoot primordia. These shoot primordia were transferred to a medium containing 10 mu M BA and subcultured repeatedly at 3-week intervals. When subcultured shoot primordia were transferred to a medium containing lower concentrations (0.1 or 1.0 mu molL(-1)) of BA, shoots were formed. Subcultured shoot primordia have continued to regenerate plants for more than 3 years. Shoots developed and rooted on MS medium lacking growth regulators. Rooted plants were transferred to pots and grown in a greenhouse. According to the morphology of leaves of regenerated plants, rejuvenation was obtained by this method of in vitro culture.