In vitro propagation of the aromatic edible halophyte Inula crithmoides L.

Inula crithmoides L. is an aromatic edible halophyte with nutritional and medicinal properties related to important metabolites (proteins, carotenoids, vitamins, minerals). Therefore, this study aimed to establish a micropropagation protocol to be used as a nursery for its standardized commercial cultivation. Nodal explants from greenhouse-grown plants were subjected to shoot multiplication treatments with various combinations of BAP and IAA, followed by rooting and acclimatisation. BAP alone induced the highest shoot formation (7 – 7.8 shoots/explant), while IAA increased the shoot height (9.26 – 9.5 cm). The best set of shoot multiplication (7.8 shoots/explant) and highest shoot height (7.58 cm) was obtained with 0.25 mg/L BAP. All shoots rooted successfully, and multiplication treatments did not affect root length (7.8 – 9.7 cm/plantlet). After rooting, plantlets cultivated with 0.25 mg/L BAP had the highest shoot number (4.2 shoots/plantlet), whereas from 0.6 mg/L IAA+1 mg/L BAP presented the highest shoot height (14.2 cm), likewise control plantlets (14.0 cm). The survival to ex-vitro acclimatization was low (9.8%), and assays aiming for its improvement are ongoing. Still, the in vitro multiplication of I. crithmoides can be used as a nursery method, allowing the development of this species as an alternative food and medicinal crop.

Funding Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and Portuguese National Budget (UIDB/04326/2020, UIDP/04326/2020, LA/P/0101/2020); Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) program supported by European Union (PRIMA/0002/2019); MJR was supported by FCT program contract (UIDP/04326/2020), LC by FCT Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECIND/00425/2017), and VCL (2020.04541.BD) and EF (UI/BD/151301/2121) by FCT PhD grants.

 

MissingLinkText

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. November 2023