Micropropagation of Vaccinium myrtillus L. (Bilberry) naturally growing in the Turkish flora

This study was designed to micropropagate Vaccinium myrtillus L., a naturally growing bilberry, in the Turkish flora. In order to determine the most effective basal medium, lateral buds were initially selected as explants, which were then individually cultured in Murashige and Skoog medium, Anderson's rhododendron medium, and McCown's woody plant medium (WPM) supplemented with 1.0 mg L-1 zeatin in combination with either 0.1 mg L-1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or 0.1 mg L-1 a-naphthalene acetic acid. WPM, supplemented with zeatin and IBA, was found to be the most effective basal medium tested. As shoot regeneration ability highly depends on the medium and cytokinin concentration, WPM basal media containing various concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg L-1) of 3 different cytokinins, namely zeatin, thidiazuron, and N6-[2-isopentenyl] adenine, were employed together with IBA (0.1 mg L-1) and were compared with basal media containing none of the growth regulators. In terms of shoot multiplication, 2.0 mg L-1 zeatin was found to be superior to the other tested growth regulators when combined with 0.1 mg L-1 IBA. WPM was also used as a basal medium for rooting and was supplemented with different concentrations of IBA (0.25-2.0 mg L-1) with or without activated charcoal (AC). WPM supplemented with 0.5/1.0 mg L-1 IBA/AC was the best culture medium for rooting with 60% root formation.