IN VITRO MICROPROPAGATION OF SAFFRON

Saffron has been produced and exported from Turkey until the XIX^th century. However, at the present time, it is produced only in a few villages. Since saffron is a sterile triploid, it is propagated by corms as the propagation through seed is impossible due to non setting of seeds. The natural propagation rate of most geophytes including saffron is relatively low. In vitro techniques have been used for the micropropagation of various plant species. In the present study various explants including floral and corm segments were cultured on different nutrient media supplemented with various concentrations of plant growth regulators. New corms were produced on MS medium supplemented with 2 mg L^-1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.5 mg L^-1 -naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) after 6 months of culture. Regenerated corms were kept at 5°C for 5 weeks and then transplanted to a potting mixture.