Plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis in the brackish wetland monocot Scirpus robustus

A tissue culture and plant regeneration protocol for salt marsh bulrush, Scirpus robustus, was developed. Callus was induced from seedling mesocotyl on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium plus 1 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Thirty-one percent of the calli became embryogenic upon transfer to MS medium supplemented with 0.25 mg/l 2,4-D. Limited plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis was obtained after transferring the embryogenic Callus to MS medium without growth regulators (MS0). The addition of 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) to the medium effectively increased the number of regenerated shoots and more shoots were regenerated on 3 mg/l BA medium (HBA) than on 0.1 mg/l BA medium (LBA). Transfer of the plants regenerated from BA-supplemented medium to MSO medium further enhanced the development of the plants, which subsequently grew vigorously in potting soil in the greenhouse. Having a tissue culture and regeneration protocol for S. robustus makes it possible to take advantage of somaclonal variation for selecting lines of this species with characteristics desirable for wetland creation and restoration. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.