Stability of IAA and IBA in Nutrient Medium to Several Tissue Culture Procedures

The relative stabilities of IAA and IBA under various tissue culture procedures were determined. IBA was significantly more stable than IAA to autoclaving. IBA was also found to be more stable than IAA in liquid Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) under growth chamber conditions. The stabilities of IBA and IAA were similar in agar-solidified MS. Light provided by cool-white fluorescent bulbs promoted degradation of IAA and IBA in both liquid and agar media. Activated charcoal in concentrations as high as 5% was found to adsorb more than 97% of IAA and IBA in liquid MS. These results have important implications for the preparation, storage, and handling of IBA and IAA in plant tissue culture. Chemical names used: indole-3-acetic acid (IAA); indole-3-butyric acid (IBA).