A timeline for Eustoma grandiflorum seedling production based on an in vitro germination protocol

Abstract

Eustoma ( Eustoma grandiflorum ) is a high-rank ornamental cut flower, and propagation of plant material by seed is an important approach for high-volume production of Eustoma . Successful propagation using different parts of the Eustoma plant has been reported in numerous studies; however, to date there have been no studies comparing the timeline differences between in vitro and conventional germination growth methods. The objective of this study was to develop a convenient and straightforward in vitro protocol that decreases the lag time to germination and the seedling development periods. Seed germination and seedling growth was studied in Eustoma (Voyage type 2 pink) seeds using two different techniques, in vitro germination and conventional sowing in soil. Seeds sown under in vitro conditions exhibited faster (6 days) germination compared with seeds sown directly in soil (11 days). Half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium in vitro -grown seedlings (7 weeks) were more vigorous and produced true leaves earlier compared with conventionally-grown seedlings (15 weeks). In addition, when Eustoma seeds were sown in vitro , germination could be more easily tracked and visually compared with seeds sown in soil media. Therefore, the in vitro seed germination protocol developed in this study is straightforward, reproducible, and will amenable to facilitate efficient seedling production of Eustoma for commercial applications.