Medium ms at different concentrations in the initial development in vitro of Melocactus conoideus Buining & Brederoo

Abstract

The Melocactus conoideus Buining & Brederoo is an ornamental plant popularly known as "crown-of-friar" or "head-of-friar", considered endemic to Vitória da Conquista, Bahia and is critically endangered. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, with representatives that are characterized by being succulent plants, which have developed adaptations to reduce water loss. The main form of reproduction of naturally propagated cacti is sexed, and it can also occur asexually, through in vitro propagation, the seed being more commonly used as an explant, this is a good alternative for the multiplication of cacti of the genus Melocactus. It is necessary for the development the in vitro propagation of this species that will enable the production of seedlings in the scientific environment. In order to have a better development in the germinative process, it was proposed to analyze the medium MS and MS ½ in in vitro propagation, in order to obtain seedlings of the species. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 5 repetitions of 10 tubes for each treatment, totaling 100 tubes. After 60 days, the germination rate of the plant and variables such as diameter, length of the largest root, number of roots and length of the plant were analyzed in both medium.

The experiments were compared using the Hotelling test, in which two multivariate samples were analyzed with the same number of variables. Better in vitro development rates were observed in the MS½ medium. Evidencing, then, that the concentrations of salts of the MS medium are reduced, for the germination of Melocactus conoideus. After the initial seedling development, there was acclimatization, which was done after their natural rooting.