RAPID PROPAGATION OF FRENCH TARRAGON USING IN VITRO TECHNIQUES

In vitro conditions were examined in order to maximize axillary shoot proliferation of French tarragon, Artemisia dracunulus L. var sativa. Basal medium consisted of full strength Murashige-Skoog salts with the following addenda per liter: sucrose, 20 g; pyridoxine· HCl, 0.5 mg; thiamine.HCl, 0.1 mg; nicotinic acid, 0.5 mg; myo-inositol, 100 mg; and glycine, 2 mg; and was supplemented with benzyladenine (BA) and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) or 2,4-dicholorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Shoots proliferated optimally in the presence of 0.4 mg/liter BA in combination with 0.05 mg/liter NAA. Other factors examined were shoot orientation in vitro, apical pinching, apical versus axillary shoot-tip explants and gelling agent. Horizontally placed shoot-tip explants produced more axillary shoots than vertically placed explants. There is an inverse relationship between proliferation and the concentration of washed Difco Bacto agar or Gelrite®, except at the lowest Gelrite concentration (0.5%) where shoots became vitrified.