IN VITRO PRODUCTION OF ACHIMENANTHA 'INFERNO' AS INFLUENCED BY SEASON AND THE SOURCE OF THE EXPLANTS.

Achimenantha hybrid, 'Inferno' was propagated in tissue culture from flower buds, mid-rib, and leaf blade, stem, and rhizome explants in December 1985 and January and February 1986. The regenerated shoots were rooted in vitro and then transplanted into soil to observe variations in growth and flowering responses. Flower buds were the best source for formation of adventitious shoots and produced 20–33 shoots per explant. Explants obtained in December and February produced the highest and the lowest number of shoots, regardless of the explant sources. Rhizome, stem, mid-rib, leaf blade, and pedicel explants formed adventitious shoots. Rhizomes produced the lowest number of shoots. When plants regenerated from different explant sources were transplanted into soil, plants from rhizome explants flowered in 66 days. The regenerated plants showed no phenotypical somaclonal variations at flowering regardless of the explant sources. A uniform population of 'Inferno' plants can be established by tissue culture and plants can be forced to flower from tissue cultured plants.