ARS | Publication request: Salicylic Acid Improved In Viro Meristem Regeneration and Salt Tolerance in Two Hibiscus Species

Submitted to: World Congress on In Vitro Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 14, 2008
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Citation: Sakhanokho, H.F., Kelley, R. 2008. Salicylic Acid Improved In Viro Meristem Regeneration and Salt Tolerance in Two Hibiscus Species. World Congress on In Vitro Biology Vol.44 p.S79.

Technical Abstract: Salicylic acid (SA) has been reported to induce abiotic stress, including salt tolerance in plants. The objective of this study was to determine whether application of various exogenous SA concentrations to in vitro grown meristem shoots could induce salt tolerance in two Hibiscus species. The effects of varying SA concentrations (0, 0.5, and 1 mM) on in vitro shoot apices of two Hibiscus species, H. moscheutus (cv ‘Luna Red’) and H. acetosella, grown under various salt concentrations (0, 175, and 200 mM) were assessed with respect to shoot growth and multiplication, percentage of root formation, root elongation, plant survival rate, and proline accumulation. Application of exogenous SA, in particular 0.5 mM SA, had a beneficial effect on all these parameters in both species under saline and non-saline conditions. Results obtained showed that H. moscheutus was more salt tolerant than H. acetosella and SA could be used to improve in vitro regeneration and induce salt tolerance in plants. These results also suggest that the approach described in this investigation could be incorporated in a breeding program aimed at a rapid screening and development of salt tolerant Hibiscus cultivars.