A Practical and Efficient Method for the Micropropagation of Japanese Cherry (Prunus sp.)

This study was conducted to establish the procedure for in vitro propagation of Japanese cherry (Prunus sp.) to produce large quantity of plantlets and initial planting materials for climate adaptation research of this plant in Hanoi. Single nodal stems were used as the primary explants and initially produced shoots on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg L-1 BA. The highest shoot multiplication rate (9.57 times) was obtained on MS medium containing 1 mg L-1 BA and 0.25 mg L-1 a-NAA after 8 weeks of culture. 100% of the shoots produced roots with a mean of 10.10 roots per plant within 4 weeks on ½ MSM medium with 4 mg L-1 IBA. The survival rate of in vitro derived plantlets after a 6 to 7-week-period of rooting during acclimatization using a soil: coco peat: smoked rice husks (2:2:1, v/v/v) substrate was 100% and acclimatized plantlets showed good growth and development. This is the first report on a practical and efficient in vitro multiplication protocol for Japanese cherry in Vietnam, starting from shoot initiation to establishment of plants under greenhouse conditions.