In vitro Symbiotic Culture Studies of Some Orchid Species

Abstract

This study investigated the formation of protocorms and shoots from in vitro cultured seeds of Dactylorhiza iberica (Bieb. ex Willd.) Soó, D. umbrosa (Kar. and Kir.) Nevski, and Orchis palustris Jacquin. Culture conditions included binucleate Rhizoctonia and Rhizoctonia solani isolates, which were symbiotic cultures isolated from the tubers of these plants, and culture media consisting of an oat medium (OM) or a modified oat medium (MOM). The shortest times for protocorm and shoot development of D. umbrosa sowed in OM were 42.67 and 66 days, respectively. The highest rate of protocorm development and the lowest percentage of formation of darkened protocorms in D. umbrosa were 60% (in OM) and 2.99% (in MOM), respectively. The maximum percentage of shoots obtained from protocorms was 35.04% for D. iberica cultured in OM. All data were obtained using binucleate Rhizoctonia sp. inoculates in the nutrient media.