878 PB 264 Micropropagation of pitaya (Hylocereus undatus Britt. et Rose)
Pltaya is a member of the family Caztacaae and the genus Hylocerus which has several species producing edible fruits. A procedure for micropropagation of pitaya using thidiazuron is described. Explants were excised from young joints of mature plants, and cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) containing 0.5 uM Thidiazuron (TDZ), and 3.5 uM naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) Produced shoots were cut longitudinally into three explants or decapitated and cultured on MS supplemented with 0.01, 0.09, 0.5, or 0.9 uM TDZ with 0.5 uM NAA. Decapitated expiants produced shoots with higher frequency and number of shoots was higher than 1/3 explants. Shoots produced from decapitated explants were longer, thicker and vigorous, compared to shoots developed from 1/3 explants. Most shoots developed from, the distal part in both explants and produced several lateral shoots from axillary buds. Shoots were rooted in MS then transferred to soil and produced normal plants.