Comparative effects of sorbitol and sucrose as main carbon energy sources in micropropagation of apricot

TLDR: Up to 70% of the plantlets that produced roots in sucrose media enriched with indolebutyric acid were successfully acclimatized when they were dipped in a benomyl (0.075% w/v) suspension before being transplanted with care being taken to prevent over-wetting of soil.

Abstract: In vitro proliferation and rooting capacity of ‘San Castrese’ and ‘Portici’ apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.) were tested on modified MS medium enriched with varying growth regulator concentrations and sucrose (58.4 mM) or sorbitol (116.8 mM) as main carbon energy sources. The interaction of proliferation and rooting media was also studied. Proliferation of both cultivars was proportional to benzyladenine (BA) concentration and enhanced with sorbitol media. However, 8.8 μM BA was often associated with hyperhydricity, particularly when shoots were grown on sucrose media. Newly proliferated shoots elongated better on sorbitol media. The positive influence of sorbitol on proliferation and shoot growth was not due to osmotic effects. Moreover, sorbitol showed a positive carryover effect in hastening rooting of ‘Portici’. By contrast, when transferred to sorbitol rooting media, the shoots of both cultivars generally showed low rooting, with short, thick roots. Up to 70% of the plantlets that produced roots in sucrose media enriched with indolebutyric acid were successfully acclimatized when they were dipped in a benomyl (0.075% w/v) suspension before being transplanted with care being taken to prevent over-wetting of soil.