MICROPROPAGATION OF Turbinicarpus knuthianus (Boed.) John & Riha, ORNAMENTAL CACTUS OF THE CHIHUAHUAN DESERT, AT RISK STATUS

Abstract

A four stage protocol was developed for the micropropagation of Turbinicarpus knuthianus, an ornamental cactus in risk status, in order to produce plants with standard commercial-sized pots in sufficient amount and good phytosanitary quality. The method here described is efficient compared to the traditional method of propagation; it is a new production technology that can be applied to the ornamental product system under the laboratory-greenhouse scheme. The seeds of this species are quiescent and can be established in vitro on MS medium at 50% supplemented with 8.65 2M of GA3, with 75% of germination. The induction of shoots and seedlings was obtained by setting segments of explants on MS medium with different treatments. It was determined that the type and concentration of phytohormone affect the multiplication rate and produce as much as 10 shoots/explant; kinetin (KIN) in interaction with AIB 10:1 in low concentrations favors this effect. During the acclimatization stage, it was observed that the application of 1.5 x106 CFU ml-1 of Azospirillum brasilense promoted a positive reaction of the rhizogenic process, as much as 6 roots 2.5 cm long per plant were formed. With this technology, species of ecological importance in risk status can be restored to the Chihuahuan Desert and the biological processes for the production of ornamental plants can be optimized.