<i>Meta</i>‐topolin, an alternative to benzyladenine in tissue culture?

Abstract

The metabolism and the in vitro effects of the cytokinin N 6 ‐(3‐hydroxybenzyl)adenine ( meta‐topolin , mT) were compared with those of N 6 ‐benzyladenine (BA), N 6 ‐benzyl‐9‐(2‐tetrahydropyranyl)adenine (BPA) and N 6 ‐benzyladenine‐9‐riboside ([9R]BA) in micropropagated Spathiphyllum floribundum Schott cv. Petite. In vitro, BA, BPA and [9R]BA were mainly converted into the stable derivative N 6 ‐benzyladenine‐9‐glucoside ([9G]BA), located at the basal part of the plant. N 6 ‐(3‐O‐β‐D‐glucopyranosyl)benzyladenine‐9‐riboside {(OG)[9R]mT} was the main derivative of mT. This new cytokinin‐O‐glucoside, which was present in all plant parts, was metabolized much faster than [9G]BA during acclimatization. The effect of BA and mT on in vitro shoot and root production and post vitro rooting was compared. Only mT combined a good shoot production with in vitro root formation. The plants that developed on medium with 10 µ M or more mT rooted better during acclimatization than those developed on medium with equimolar concentrations of BA.