In vitro propagation of pomegranate (Punica granatum l.) Cv. ‘Males Yazdi’

Conventional method of propagation of pomegranate is time consuming and tiresome, and it does not ensure disease free and healthy plants. In vitro technique is the only prospect of plant tissue culture that has the potential to circumvent these problems. An efficient in vitro propagation is described for pomegranate using shoot tips and nodal explants. The influence of two basal medium, WPM and MS, and different plant growth regulators was investigated on micropropagation of the Iranian cultivar of pomegranate ‘Malas Yazdi’. For proliferation stage, media supplemented with different concentrations (2.3, 4.7, 9.2 and 18.4 μM) of Kinetin along with 0.54 μM 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) was used. WPM proved to be more efficient medium compared to MS. The best concentration of Kinetin was 9.2 μM, resulting in the highest number of nodes, shoot length and leaf number. Half-strength WPM medium supplemented with 5.4 μM NAA was most effective for rooting of shoots. Rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized and transferred into the soil.