In vitro propagation of Gaultheria pumila (L.f.) D.J. Middleton (Ericaceae), a Chilean native berry with commercial potential

A micropropagation protocol for G. pumila was developed. Young shoots were collected during the growing season (October to December 2016) from a wild population in the Villarrica Volcano area in the Araucanía Region of Chile. Nodal segments were used for in vitro initiation after testing several disinfection treatments with different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite. Disinfected explants were placed onto 100% WPM basal medium (WPM100) supplemented with a range of concentrations of 2-iP (2-isopentenyladenine) to evaluate the best regeneration media during in vitro culture. Disinfection with 1% sodium hypochlorite for 40 minutes, followed by a second disinfection with 2% sodium hypochlorite for 25 minutes, and cultivation on MS basal medium supplemented with 2 mg L-1 2-iP gave the highest efficiency of disinfected plants. In the propagation stage, the highest multiplication rates were obtained when 1 mg L-1 zeatin was added to the basal WPM100 medium. In vitro rooting and preacclimation were better when elongated plants were cultivated on WPM100 supplemented with 3 mg L-1 naphthalene acetic acid. This in vitro protocol could be used to propagate genotypes of this Chilean native species and is also an important tool toward its domestication and commercial use.