ABSTRACT
The study was carried in 2004 and 2005. The aim of this study was to establish a protocol for micropropagation of Faucaria tuberculosa plants in vitro. Chlorox and mercuric chloride were used for sterelization treatments. Multiplication of shoots was done by using MS-medium fortified with benzyladenine [BA] or kinetin. Also, full strength Murashige and Skoog [MS] or Wooay plant medium [WPM] with addition of BA, Zeatin or 2iP were studied. Different agar concentrations were added to WPM to promote shoot proliferation and reduce the shoot vitrification. To promote rooting on Faucaria tuberculosa, different strengthes of MS media with or without activated charcoal [AC] were examined. The results showed that the best treatment, to be recommended to obtain free of contamination explants with the highest survival, was by using 40% chlorox with 0.2% mercuric chloride [MC]. Addition of 3 mg/l BA to full strength MS medium produced the highest shootlet number/explant and respectively reduced vitrification of shootlets/explant as compared with 3 mg/l kin in the 3th subculture. No significant differences in shootlets number were found by usingfull strength MS or WPM with 3 mg/l BA, Zeatin or 2iP, while addition of 3 MM BA to full strength WPM reduced vitrificated shootlets/explant. Increasing agar concentration from 7 to 11 g/l in WPM gradually reduced shootlet number and vitrificated shootlet/ explant. 1n rooting stage, using full strength MS medium with 1 g/l activated charcoal increased rooting percentage and root length, while for root number no significant differences could be observed In acclimatization of plantlets, all treatments gave 100% survival