No abstract

Flowering and fruit production were obtained from cultured shoot tips of `California Wonder', `Super Cayenne', and `Zippy' peppers grown in a liquid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium without growth regulators. Thirty-day-old pepper shoot tips, derived from seedlings germinated sterilely, were cultured in a 6-liter polycarbonate container coupled to an automated plant culture system (APCS). Plants were given ten daily, 30-minute, compressed-air applications at 300 ml/minute. These shoots began flowering after an additional 60 to 90 days in culture and flowered continuously thereafter. About 5% to 10% of the flowers set fruit. Maximum fruit size obtained was ≈25% to 75% of the size of fruit produced on plants grown in vivo. In contrast, no flowering occurred from shoot tips grown in 25 × 150-mm culture tubes containing agar medium and subcultured every 8 weeks to fresh medium. Immature fruit excised from plantlets grown in the APCS were cultured separately on agar medium containing 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, or 1.0 mg BA/liter with and without 0.1 mg NAA/liter. Isolated fruit grew best on MS medium with BA only and poorest on medium without growth regulators. Chemical names used: N-(phenylmethyl)-1H-purine-6-amine (BA); 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA).

A procedure to produce fruits from cultured shoot tips of Cucumis sativus L. cultivar 'Marketmore-76' in vitro is described. Four-week-old shoot tips, derived from sterile germinated seedlings on a MS medium, were cultured in a 3.8-1 Mason jar using an automated plant culture system. Tips readily generated roots, leaves and flowers after another 4 to 8 weeks in culture. Administration of compressed air at a 300 ml/min flow rate for 30 min 10 or 15 times a day induced the development of parthenocarpic fruits from flowers. Fruits, up to 170 mm long by 35 mm diameter, were obtained within 30 to 45 d after flower opening.

Nutrient medium can be sterilized using a household-type microwave oven. The required microwave treatment time was influenced by the oven's microwave power intensity (70 to 700 W), vessel type, volume of medium employed, and the presence of energy sink water reservoirs (ESWR). Growth rates of strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) shootlets, lemon [Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.] fruit halves, or carrot (Daucus carota L.) callus cultured on either microwaved or autoclaved media were similar. Microwaving and autoclaving appeared to reduce GA3 activity compared with medium containing filter sterilized GA3. Chemical name used: gibberellic acid (GA3).