Master Thesis
The objectives of this study were to determine the optimum concentrations of 6-
Benzylaminopurine (BAP) and Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) and Murashige and
Skoog (MS) media state on in vitro multiplication of local pineapple cv. “Smooth
Cayenne”. Experiments were carried out at Mikocheni Agricultural Research
Institute from September 2016 to July 2017. In the first experiment, crown and
ratoon derived explants were cultured in MS medium supplemented with BAP at 0,
2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5mg/L in combination with NAA at 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 2mg/L while in
the second experiment, ratoon and crown derived explants were cultured in MS
semi-solid, solid and liquid media. MS semi-solid and solid media were prepared by
adding 1.25 and 2.5g/L of phytagel as gelling agent. The pineapple explant were
divided into four portions, planted in MS media with different BAP and NAA
combinations and then incubated in a growth room at temperature of 26` ± 2 °C and
photoperiod of 16h dark and 8h light per day. Data on number of plantlets per quarter
explant and weight of plantlets at 16th week from the date of culture initiation were
collected. Data were analyzed using Gen Stat Computer Software version 12th based
on split plot in a completely randomized design, and treatment separation was
performed based on Duncan Multiple Range Test at p ≤ 0.05. Crown derived
explants cultured in BAP at 5mg/L and NAA at 2mg/L produced the highest number
of 16 plantlets per quarter explant each weighing 1.979g. Moreover, crown derived
explants cultured in semi-solid MS media produced the largest number of plantlets of
16.33 plantlets per quarter explant each weighing 1.966g. It is recommended that
tissue culture propagators should improve in vitro propagation of pineapple by
culturing crown-derived explants in MS semi-solid media supplemented with BAP at
5mg/L and NAA at 2mg/L. Further studies are required to determine the effect of
crown and ratoon-derived seedlings on field performance of pineapple.
Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)