In vitro propagation of Dianthus cruentus and acclimatization in hydroponic culture

Dianthus cruentus is an ornamental perennial plant species, whose natural habitat are silicate soils. The objective of this study was to establish an efficient in vitro propagation protocol to obtain Dianthus cruentus plants that were acclimated in hydroponic cultures. The effect of NAA and IBA on in vitro rooting was examined, followed by the acclimatization of plants in hydroponic culture in a half-strength modified Hoagland nutrient solution. The highest rooting rate (98.3 %) was recorded on MS media containing 0.5 mg L-1 NAA. Well-developed roots and shoots were formed, and plants acclimated to hydroponic culture (100 %). In order to determine the impact of auxin type on plant growth, the fresh and dry weights of plants were recorded before and after hydroponic acclimatization. The highest biomass was recorded for plants rooted on MS medium containing 0.5 mg L-1 IBA, which indicates that auxin used during in vitro rooting can affect the further acclimatization of rooted plantlets.