Plant regeneration from suspension cultures of Hosta sieboldiana

Systems for establishing suspension cultures and for inducing plant regeneration from these cultures for the Liliaceous ornamental plant, Hosta sieboldiana (Lodd.) Engl. have been developed. Pale-yellow and nodular calluses were induced from more than 20% of scape segments on MS medium containing 1 mg l(-1) picloram (PIC), 30 g l(-1) sucrose, and 2 g l(-1) gellan gum. Upon transfer of calluses to the same medium lacking gellan gum, stably-growing suspension cultures were established after 1 month. Suspension cell clusters regenerated a large number of adventitious shoots following transfer to MS media containing 0.1 mg l(-1) NAA in combination with either BA or TDZ. Over 20 shoots per 0.3 g FW of cell clusters were obtained on media containing 0.1 mg l(-1) NAA and either 1 or 5 mg l(-1) TDZ. Shoots rooted easily on plant growth regulator (PGR)-free MS medium, and plantlets were successfully transferred to soil. Plants showed no visible morphological alterations and maintained the diploid level as indicated by flow cytometric analysis.