Fabiana imbricata Ruiz et Pav. micropropagation.

The effects of growth regulators on shoot development and rooting have been studied in Fabiana imbricata Ruiz et Pay. micropropagation. Plants were cultured in vitro on media with 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 mg l(-1) 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.01 mg l(-1) indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). In all the treatments similar values for the mean height of the plants and 100% rooting were established. Data analysis showed that within 28 days the proliferation value in the hormone-free variant was 5.04 +/- 0.68 compared to the treatment with 0.5 mg l(-1) BAP and 0.01 mg l(-1) IBA (5.64 +/- 0.70), where symptoms of hyperhydricity occurred. Application of 0.3% activated charcoal (AC) influenced the growth and development of the plants positively, resulting in almost two-fold higher proliferation (9.04 +/- 0.54), overcoming this physiological disorder. Moreover, the optimized propagation system allowed the organogenesis of both, shoots and roots simultaneously, as approach to accelerate the micropropagation process and reduce production costs. Although the percentage of surviving plants was dependent on root system morphology, the lack of growth regulators in the last subculture before adaptation could be a useful prerequisite for the hardening of process, resulting in successful plant survival.