@Article{biocell.2002.26.319,
AUTHOR = {MARÍA CECILIA JUÁREZ, CARLOS BERNARDO PASSERA},
TITLE = {<i>In vitro</i> propagation of <i>Opuntia ellisiana</i> Griff. and acclimatization to field conditions},
JOURNAL = {BIOCELL},
VOLUME = {26},
YEAR = {2002},
NUMBER = {3},
PAGES = {319--324},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/biocell/v26n3/34022},
ISSN = {1667-5746},
ABSTRACT = {	
The genus <i>Opuntia</i> is a valuable forage resource in arid and semiarid lands during periods of drought and shortage of herbaceous plants. However, absolute minimum temperatures in the plains of Mendoza represent a limiting factor to cultivate several species.<br/>
<i> Opuntia ellisiana</i> is a cold hardy species, so the goals of this study were to massively propagate it using <i>in vitro</i> culture techniques, and then to acclimatize plantlets obtained to field conditions.<br/>
 Different sterilization protocols were tested. Areoles were isolated in laminar airflow cabinet, and cultured on Murashige-Skoog medium, supplemented with sucrose and different BAP and IBA combinations. Explants were grown at 27±2ºC, under a 16-h photoperiod. The shoots produced were used in the rooting assay using different auxin combinations. In the most efficient growth treatment, plantlets reached 100% shooting after 35 days of culture, and a mean length of 10.2 mm after 49 days of culture. A 100% rooted plantlets was obtained on a medium containing 5 mg L<sup>-1</sup> IBA, after 12 days of culture. Acclimatization was achieved under greenhouse conditions, showing 100% plantlet survival. <br/>
This study suggests that <i>O. ellisiana</i> can be successfully micropropagated by areoles, and easily acclimatizated to field conditions.},
DOI = {10.32604/biocell.2002.26.319}
}