TDZ-Specific Plant Regeneration in Salad Burnet

Various explants of salad burnet ( Poterium sanguisorba L.= Sanguisorba minor Scop.) were cultured on semi-solid MS or B5 media containing factorial combinations of various plant growth regulators. Hypocotyl and petiole explants, after initial callus stage, regenerated prolific adventitious shoots via organogenesis, when placed on Murashige and Skoog basal medium containing 1-2 muM alpha -naphthaleneacetic acid and 4-20 muM thidiazuron. Any other growth regulator combination tested failed to respond. The addition of the biocide, Plant Preservative Mixture, was effective in controlling contamination and did not impair regeneration. Elongated shoots at 2-4 cm were transferred to rooting medium containing semi-solid Murashige and Skoog plus 1 muM alpha -naphthaleneacetic and rooted plants were transferred to the glasshouse. This is the first report on in vitro plant regeneration within the genus Poterium.