No abstract

A procedure for the clonal propagation ofPaeonia lactiflora Pall. cvs. Takinoyosooi and Sarah Bernhardt through shoot tip culture is described. Half strength Murashige and Shoog (1962) medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine plus 1 mg/l gibberellic acid promoted formation and growth of axillary buds. Continuous shoot multiplication was achieved by vertically splitting the shoot axis and subsequent division of elongated axillary shoots every 36 days. High frequency (57-100%) of rooting was obtained on paper-bridge liquid medium supplemented with 1 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid. Half of the rooted plantlets were established on porous soil. Thus, 700 and 300 plants of cv. Takinoyosooi and Sarah Bernhardt could be theoretically obtained from a single bud in one year.

Forcing methods of tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) timed for New Years Day were investigated. Garlic paste applied to the flower bud after chilling promoted bud sprouting and leaf extension. This treatment also accelerated flowering, advancing harvest time to the middle of December. Pre-chilling treatment had a similar effect on flowering although the effectiveness depended on the cultivar. A combination treatment of pre-chilling and garlic paste resulted in flowering at the end of November when applied to a cultivar in which dormancy was less deep.