Jekeh (Allium stamineum), as an aromatic and stimulant herb, is at risk of extinction and reduced natural reproduction for various reasons. A factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design was conducted to optimize the micropropagation of Jekeh using tissue culture techniques.
To prepare seedlings, plant seeds were first cultured in MS medium. After seedling growth, explants of radicle, basal plate, and cotyledon were prepared from the seedlings and transferred to jars containing MS medium supplemented with auxin plant growth regulators, including 2,4-D at concentrations of 1 and 2 mg/L, in combination with cytokinins (BA or kinetin) at concentrations of 0, 0.5, and 1 mg/L, for callus induction.
For proliferation, MS medium supplemented with kinetin (1, 2, and 4 mg/L) and NAA (0 and 1 mg/L) was used with radicle, basal plate, and cotyledon explants. After culturing, the samples were maintained in a growth chamber at 22±2 °C to observe changes.
The highest rate of callus induction was obtained from cotyledon explants on MS medium containing either 1 mg/L 2,4-D alone, 1 mg/L 2,4-D plus 0.5 mg/L BA, or 2 mg/L 2,4-D plus 0.5 mg/L kinetin.
Proliferation results showed that cotyledon explants in a culture medium containing 1 mg/L kinetin plus 1 mg/L NAA produced the highest number of bulblets (3.33).
For bulblet production from callus, calli were transferred to a culture medium containing combinations of the growth regulators kinetin (0, 1, 2, and 4 mg/L) and NAA (0, 1 mg/L). The highest regeneration from callus occurred on the growth regulator-free culture medium.
The regenerated bulblets were placed in MS medium containing different concentrations of the growth regulator IBA (1, 2, and 3 mg/L) for root induction. The results indicated that the highest number of roots per bulblet (7.90) and the greatest root length (10.90) were produced on MS medium containing 3 mg/L IBA.
The rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized under ex-vitro conditions.