Study of sodium nitroprusside application on micropropagation of Gerbera jamesonii cv. bayoder

Nitric oxide (NO) has been found as an important growth regulator and posses much attention in different aspects of science, including medicine, biochemistry, physiology and genetics. NO enhances hormonal effects through cytokinen signal transduction in vitro. The stimulation effect of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is by releasing NO during in vitro culture. In this experiment, the effect of NO on Gerbera micropropagation has been studied based on completely randomized design. Leaf explants were cultured on modified MS, containing 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D and different concentrations of SNP (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, μM). In the second experiment, proliferation of shoot was studied on MS containing 0.5 mg/l BAP.1mg IAA and different concentrations of SNP (0, 20, 40 and 60 μM). Then, the regenerated shoots were transferred to modified MS with 0.1mg IAA and different levels of SNP (0, 10, 20 and 30 μM). The results showed that the maximum amount of leaf callus formation and stimulation were observed in 60 μM treatment. There was a significant difference between different concentration of NO and control. The highest proliferation of shoots and plant weight were obtained in medium containing 20 μM SNP compared with the medium without SNP. Sodium nitroprusside increased root diameter along with root weight.