S04 - Session P6 - Effects of pyrabactin on the growth of micropropagated Melia volkensii plants

Authors: Titus Magomere *, Constantin Dushimimana, Margaret Hutchinson, George Chemining'wa, Guy Smagghe, Stefaan Werbrouck

Melia volkensii is now widely planted in the arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya because of its rapid growth and excellent wood quality. To enable the use of micropropagation systems for large-scale propagation of elite clones of melia, efficient in vitro planting is a necessary step. Several anti-stress plant hormones promote survival during this sensitive phase. One of these is pyrabactin, a synthetic agonist of abscisic acid (ABA), which has a longer life span and thus keeps stomata closed longer during hardening off. This compound was compared to ABA during weaning of in vitro reared M. volkensii. Pyrabactin increased plant survival rate, shoot length and number of leaves per plant. Pyrabactin could therefore be a good tool to help micropropagated plants cope with abiotic stress during weaning.