Effect of NaCl Stress on Pineapple Plant (Ananas comosus Merr. (L.) cv. Del Monte) In Vitro

The present study was carried out at Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, during the period from (15/10/2011 - 15/11/2012) to investigate effect of different sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations on vegetative and root growth characteristics of pineapple plant via in vitro culture. The results showed that MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg.l-1 kinetin for shoot multiplication gave 360 shoots after 24 weeks from culture (three re-cultures). Also, the results showed that MS medium without NaCl treatment of shoot multiplication stage gave high significantly percentage of survival explants reached 85%. While, the MS medium supplemented with 2% NaCl gave low significantly percentage of survival explants reached 15%. The vegetative and root growth characteristics decreased when the NaCl concentration were increased in multiplication and rooting stages. The MS medium without NaCl treatment gave highest vegetative and root growth characteristics reached 12.42 cm (leaf length), 5.4 (leaves), 11.6 (shoots), 90% (rooting percentage), 4.00 cm (root length) and 7.6 (roots). But, the MS medium supplemented with 2% NaCl gave low values in there characteristics reached 1.08 cm, 3.8 leaves, 1.4 shoots, 20% rooting percentage, 1.24 cm root length and 1.4 roots. Also, the results showed that plantlets produced from MS medium supplemented with NaCl at 0.0% and 0.5% concentrations were successfully acclimatized (100%) after eight weeks from rooting stage. While, the weak plantlets of other treatments (1.5 and 2.0%) NaCl were failed in growth and acclimatization. Conclusion from present study that pineapple plantlets were low of salt tolerance and the possibility of planting of pineapple plants in Basrah government, southern Iraq.