S04 - Session P1 - New Tools I - Acclimatization of in vitro cultured Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Authors: Bal Krishna *, Kalyansing B Patil, Jitendra L Patil, Bhavesh L Jangale, Kalyani K Maharir

Pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) is an economically important fruit crop of arid and semi-arid tropics and sub-tropics because of its unique capacity to tolerate drought conditions. The pomegranate has medicinal, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical values. Area under pomegranate has been growing globally as well in India. In the tropics pomegranate has been severely affected by bacterial blight and several other diseases. To establish disease free plantation in new areas, availability of quality planting material in large quantities is not possible through conventional means of propagation. Tissue culture laboratory of Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. Jalgaon has developed an efficient in vitro propagation method for pomegranate. Being a delicate plantlet with unique physiology, acclimatization of pomegranate plantlets is difficult and has a low success rate. Light, temperature, humidity and growing media play an important role in the acclimatization process. An effort was made to standardize an commercial acclimatization process for in vitro propagated pomegranate plants. A two step (primary and secondary) acclimatization process was adopted with different varying conditions to develop an efficient procedure. In primary acclimatization, the plants grown in combination of 45% light and peat moss medium resulted in higher survival and better quality plantlets as compared to other potting mediums and lights. For secondary acclimatization, the plants also grew best in combination of 45% light ( for initial 20 days) and peat moss media. This treatment gave the best plant height, stem girth, number of leaves, leaf area, number of nodes, root volume, shoot weight as well as root weight. The studies provide valuable information on selection of media, light intensity for acclimatization of tissue culture grown pomegranate plant for primary hardening process.