Bringing of monarda under cultivation in vitro

Abstract

Currently, the search for natural sources of biologically active substances is expanding due to modern methods for their detection, identification, and isolation from plant raw materials. One such plant is the genus Monarda L. which is introduced and bred in various foreign and domestic institutions. Monarda is a new crop for West Siberia, and studying its biotechnological methods of propagation is relevant, especially in the short growing season of Siberia. The research goal was to investigate the clonal micropropagation of Monarda. The research material consisted of two types of monarda - scarlet monarda (Monarda didyma L.) of Bergama variety and lemon beebalm (Monarda citriodora Cerv. ex Lag.) of Mona Lisa variety. The explants were seeds of these varieties. To obtain aseptic seedlings, the seeds were sterilized using 15% sodium hypochlorite (Bleach) in an exposure of 15 minutes. The seeds were cultured on a hormone-free Murashige-Skoog nutrient medium. In a month, 100% sterility of the seedlings was achieved in vitro for two species of Monarda. The viability was almost two times lower, 45% for M. didyma and 55% for M. citriodora. The analysis of the morphogenetic potential of Monarda species under cultivation in vitro showed that the development of sterile seedlings proceeded at different rates: in M. citriodora they were 1.5 times higher than in M. didyma in 1 and 2.5 months of cultivation, while the leaf coverage of microshoots and the length of roots were almost the same.