We have analyzed the stress-associated proteins in a high-rubber-yielding guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray cv. 11591) leaves. Protein profiles in leaf fractions, resolved by SDS-PAGE and visualized by Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining, were different under various stresses. Changes in 25, 34 and 74 kDa polypeptides were noticed in response to low night temperature treatment while 24, 40, 47 and 81 kDa proteins responded to low irradiance. 23, 50, 75 and 82 kDa proteins were altered in response to drought stress. Certain proteins may play a significant role in the acquisition of tolerance in parenchyma cells of guayule leaves and might be useful markers to study adaptation in guayule plants.

The possibility was examined whether the pool of sequence variants of HLVd which accumulated as progeny of "thermomutants" induced upon heat-treatment of hop could initiate infection of non-host solanaceous plants. It was found that HLVd microevolution led to the appearance of HLVd population in tomato. This viroid population was maintained at levels detectable by molecular hybridisation, showing the highest concentration in apical leaves. HLVd was further transferred from tomato to Nicotiana benthamiana, where distinct HLVd sequence variants appeared and were stably maintained at low levels. Our results show that replication of HLVd under heat stress resulted in the production of viroid quasispecies, potentially important for viroid evolution in so-called non host plants.

Mature and immature cotyledon explants of cowpea were cultured on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium supplemented with 0.1 - 2.0 mg dm^-3 benzyladenine (BA). Shoot organogenesis was observed from the minimal greenish calli formed at proximal cutting edges of the immature cotyledon explants after 15 - 20 d of culture. Among whole immature zygotic embryo and seven explant types we tested, single whole cotyledon was suitable for shoot organogenesis. Nearly 67.5 % of the explant types produced adventitious shoots on MS medium containing with 1 mg dm^-3 BA, and the shoot number (10.1) per explant was higher than other explant types. From the histological studies, the shoot primordia originated from the procambial strands of immature cotyledon explants. When the shoots were transferred to 1/2 MS basal medium, formed roots within 20 d of culture. The rooted plants were subsequently transferred to the pots and to the field.

High-frequency regeneration of shoots was achieved at root region of seedlings of Robinia pseudoacacia L. cultured from seeds on medium supplemented with thidiazuron (TDZ, 1.0 μM). The roots of intact seedlings proliferated and formed a compact callus followed by differentiation of numerous shoots. Corresponding cultures on benzylaminopurine-containing medium exhibited much weaker response. Hypocotyl segments also formed shoots at a lower concentration of TDZ (0.1 μM). The shoots formed on TDZ-containing medium were well-developed and readily rooted on hormone-free medium. The obtained plants after acclimation in culture room survived after transfer to soil.

The effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens treatment and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense inoculation on induction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POX), chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase and accumulation of phenolics in banana (Musa sp.) was studied. When banana roots were treated with P. fluorescens strain Pf10, a two-fold increase in phenolic content in leaf tissues was recorded 3 - 6 d after treatment. Challenge inoculation with F. oxysporum, the wilt pathogen, steeply increased the phenolic content in P. fluorescens-treated banana plants. Significant increase in POX activity was detected 6 - 9 d after P. fluorescens treatment. PAL, chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase activities increased significantly from 3 d after P. fluorescens treatment and reached the maximum 6 d after treatment. Challenge inoculation with F. oxysporum further increased the enzyme activities. These results suggest that the enhanced activities of defense enzymes and elevated content of phenolics may contribute to bioprotection of banana plants against F. oxysporum.

A rapid micropropagation protocol through induced multiple shoots from the cotyledonary explant of mulberry (Morus alba L) is described. The highest number of shoots (20.3) was obtained when explants from 14-d-old embryos were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 7 μM thidiazuron for 45 d. Of the three cultivars used, cv. S-36 was the best followed by cv. K-2 and S-1. The shoots were transferred to MS medium supplemented with 5 μM 6-benzylaminopurine for elongation. The elongated shoots were rooted on half strength MS medium containing 1 - 7 μM indole 3-butyric acid or 1-naphthalene acetic acid. The rooted plants were transplanted to soil with 90 % success. The emerged shoot primordia probably initiated from the pre-existing meristems since the shoot bud show definite vascular connection to the major vascular tissue.

The plant growth retardant, paclobutrazol at 8.5 or 17.0 μM concentrations effectively inhibited the stem elongation and primary leaf expansion of bean seedlings. Although the retardant reduced the relative water content in well-watered plants, the water and pressure potentials remained high in the primary leaves. K⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ contents in the primary leaves of the paclobutrazol-treated plants were not significantly different from those in the control. The stomatal density increased on both surfaces but the length of guard cells was not reduced significantly on the adaxial epidermes of the paclobutrazol-treated primary leaves. The inhibitory effect of paclobutrazol on the abaxial stomatal conductances became more pronounced with time during the light period but the adaxial surfaces displayed similar or slightly higher conductances than those of the control. The transpiration rate on a unit area basis did not change significantly or increased in the treated leaves thus the reduced water loss of paclobutrazol-treated plants was due to the reduced leaf area. Stomatal conductances of the adaxial surfaces responded more intensively to exogenous abscisic acid and the total leaf conductance decreased faster with increasing ABA concentration in the control than in the paclobutrazol-treated leaves. Paclobutrazol, an effective inhibitor of phytosterol biosynthesis, not only amplified the stomatal differentiation but increased the differences between the adaxial and abaxial stomatal conductances of the primary leaves.

Effects of plant hormones indole-3-yl-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA), benzylaminopurine (BAP), abscisic acid (ABA) and ethrel (ETH) in 5 μM concentration on gas exchange, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO, EC 4.1.1.39) activity, pigment content and yield in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. H-777) under drought were studied. At reproductive stage (55 - 60 d after sowing) these hormones were sprayed on shoots one day prior to stress imposition by withholding irrigation. The soil moisture of control plants was kept at field capacity. Net photosynthetic rate (P_N), stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration rate (E), carboxylation efficiency (CE), water use efficiency (WUE), RuBPCO activity, boll number per plant, seed number per plant and lint mass per plant significantly decreased at drought while chlorophyll (Chl) b content and flower number per plant increased. ABA and ETH significantly reduced gas exchange parameters, Chl a and Chl b content. Detrimental drought effect on P_N, g_s, E, CE, RuBPCO and lint mass per plant was significantly alleviated by BAP and also its effect on seed number and lint mass per plant was significantly alleviated with the ABA treatment.

This study deals with the effects of two cytokinins [kinetin (Kin) and N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N-phenylurea (CPPU)] and cytokinin antagonists [2-chloro-4-cyclobutyl-amino-6-ethylamino-1,3,5-triazine (ACK1) and N-(4-pyridyl)-O-(4-chlorophenyl)carbamate (ACK2)] in concentration of 1 μM on in vitro cultured Gypsophila. The application of Kin and CPPU stimulated bud opening and increased fresh and dry masses. Cytokinin antagonists reduced the number of sprouted buds and bud fresh and dry masses. In plants treated with CPPU the chloroplasts possessed well developed membrane system, which covered almost the entire chloroplasts volume. In ACK2 treated plants, the plastid apparatus in each cell was represented by two types of chloroplast in which the inner membrane system was differently organized. Cell wall adjacent chloroplasts possessed structure similar to the controls. In inner located chloroplasts part of thylakoids were semi-concentrically arranged and partially destructed.

In vitro regeneration of Melia azedarach L. was studied. Shoots were regenerated from calli initiated from leaflets of in vitro growing plants. The best medium for establishment of cultures was Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 4.44 μM benzylaminopurine (BAP) + 0.46 μM kinetin (KIN) + 16.29 μM adenine sulphate (ADE). Regenerated shoots were multiplied in MS + 0.44 μM BAP + 0.37 μM KIN + 3.26 μM ADE. Maximal rooting of 89 % was achieved by culture of regenerated shoots in MS + 12.26 μM indole-3-butyric acid for 3 d and subsequently in MS lacking growth regulators for 27 d. Rooted shoots were acclimatized and successfully transferred to soil.

The greatest growth of wheat and rape plants in vitro was reached on media with 5 or 9 % sucrose, respectively. The highest efficiency for transfer of these plants to ex vitro conditions was found at the same sucrose concentrations. The content of endogenous non-structural saccharides (glucose, fructose, sucrose, starch and fructans) increased with increasing sucrose concentration in the medium up to 10 %.

Wild type of Arabidopsis thaliana plants were cultivated hydroponically in Hoagland and Arnon nutrient solution and treated with copper (5 - 100 µM) for 2, 4, 7 and 14 d. A progressive decrease of the root length and biomass was observed at increasing Cu concentration in the nutrient solution. Roots accumulated higher amounts of Cu than shoots at all Cu treatments. Changes of cell and chloroplast ultrastructure of Cu-treated plants were also observed. Cu application did not induce formation of Cu-phytochelatin complexes. Changes in glutathione and glutathione disulfide content observed in roots and shoots of Cu-treated plants suggest their participation in amelioration of metal-induced oxidative stress.

Multiple shoots were initiated from nodal and shoot tip explants collected from mature trees of Morus alba L. cultivars Chinese White, Kokuso-27 and Ichinose, and M. multicaulis Perr. cultivars Goshoerami and Rokokuyaso after 2 weeks of culture. Nodal explants were more responsive than shoot tip explants. Murashige and Skoog basal medium was found to be most suitable medium and 6-benzylaminopurine was the most effective cytokinin for shoot induction. Explants collected between April and September evoked better response than the explants collected between October and March. Shoots were multiplied by transferring nodal explants excised from in vitro raised shoots onto a medium containing cytokinins. Sucrose was the most suitable carbon source examined for shoot multiplication. An increase in shoot multiplication rate was noticed upto 4 - 5 subcultures. Nodal explants rooted on an auxin-supplemented medium. The acclimatized plants were successfully transplanted in the field.

Capsaicin, a possible allelochemical, caused growth inhibition of roots and shoots of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), cress (Lepidium sativum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), timothy (Phleum pratense) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), and suppressed their germination. Increasing the dose of capsaicin increased the inhibition. The concentrations for 50 % inhibition of the root growth were 2.7, 0.32, 2.1, 0.27, 0.29 and 0.57 mM for alfalfa, cress, lettuce, crabgrass, timothy and ryegrass, respectively, and the concentrations for 50 % inhibition of the shoot growth were 17, 0.87, 6.7, 2.3, 1.4 and 6.2 mM for alfalfa, cress, lettuce, crabgrass, timothy and ryegrass, respectively. Germination percentage was inhibited 50 % at the concentrations 82, 88, 68, 4.8, 22 and 11 mM for alfalfa, cress, lettuce, crabgrass, timothy and ryegrass, respectively. Thus, effectiveness of capsaicin on the plant growth differed with species and targets, and suggests that capsaicin may act as an allelochemical to other plants.

The effects of 50 mM NaCl and 5, 10, 15 and 20 mM boron on the rate of germination, growth rate, contents of boron, sodium, potassium and chloride, and membrane permeability in maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) were studied. Germination rate, lengths of roots and shoots as well as dry matter production in the two tested plants, decreased with the increasing B concentration in nonsaline conditions, and markedly under salinity. Membrane permeability increased by increasing B concentration only under salinity. Increase in B concentration of sorghum was lower under salinity when compared to nonsaline conditions. Contrary to this, increase in B concentration of maize was higher under salinity. Under salinity Na and Cl concentrations increased and K concentration decreased in the both tested plants. Potassium concentration was decreased by B treatments under salinity.

The effect of exogenous brassinosteroids (BR) on the flowering induction of Pharbitis nil was examined. Generally plants treated with brassinolide and castasterone form less number of flowers than control plants, but degree of flowering inhibition was depended on the concentration and the method of BR application as well as the length of the inductive dark period. In plants regenerated from sub-induced apices treated with brassinolide at concentration of 1 and 10 μM the flower formation was inhibited completely.

Plants of maize (Zea mays L.) were waterlogged for 7 d and irrigated (root application) or sprayed (foliar application) with 0, 1, 3 and 6 mg dm-3 of boron. The stability of leaf membranes was assessed by determining leakage of electrolytes from leaf discs exposed to heat (51 °C) and dehydration (40 % PEG). Leaf membranes were more stable to heat than to dehydration. The membranes of waterlogged plants were more injured than those of control plants. Waterlogging reduced contents of dry mass, chlorophyll, soluble proteins, total free amino acids and soluble sugars and leaf relative water content (RWC). Application of boron increased the stability of leaf membranes, chlorophyll, soluble sugars, soluble proteins, amino acids contents, leaf RWC and dry mass accumulation. Foliar boron application was more effective. Application of boron alleviated the deleterious effect of waterlogging.

Distribution of cadmium between roots and shoots of barley was manipulated by the cadmium concentration (0.01 and 0.005 mM Cd²⁺), pH (4.6 and 5.9) as well as treatment duration. The prolongation of treatment increased dry mass and content of cadmium in plants. The cadmium is accumulated mainly in roots. Presence of both, 0.005 mM Cd²⁺ and 100 mM NaCl in medium at pH 5.9 (Cd-NaCl plants) resulted in the most severe growth inhibition of plants, but about one half accumulation of cadmium in roots then in a case of only Cd-treated plants. In the Cd-NaCl plants, the net photosynthetic and transpiration rates were less reduced then in a case of only NaCl-treated plants. The treatments also influenced uptake of Ca, Cd, Cu, K, Mg, Na and Zn predominantly in roots.

A greenhouse pot experiment with different phosphorus supply was conducted to study growth, photosynthesis and free polyamine (PA) content in Plantago lanceolata L. plants in relation to arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization. Inoculum of Glomus fasciculatum (BEG 53) was used. Inoculated plants had high colonization intensities which were related to the P supply. Non-mycorrhizal (NM) plants showed a typical yield response curve for P availability. Dry masses of mycorrhizal (M) plants were higher at the lowest soil P content than those of NM plants, but the opposite was found at the highest P supply. P contents in M plants were always higher. There were no differences in chlorophyll (Chl) concentrations (except the lowest soil P content) and ratios of variable to maximum Chl fluorescence (Fv/Fm) values between M and NM plants, whereas M plants had higher ratios of leaf area to fresh mass (A/f.m.) at low soil P contents and they had significantly higher CO₂ fixation capacities per unit leaf area. Free putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) contents in NM plants were usually highest at the lowest P supply. The ratios of Put/(Spd+Spm) were identical in M and NM leaves. They were significantly higher, however, in NM roots at the two low P doses. It is concluded, that a P nutritional status might exist, below which PA concentrations and ratio are increased drastically, possibly indicating P deficiency or a certain state of plant development with a higher demand for AM symbiosis.

γ-Aminobutyrate (GABA) was the only amino acid out of three amino acid intermediates of GABA shunt that increased significantly after 28 h from the beginning of osmotic stress induced by 20 % polyethylene glycol 6000 in wheat seedlings. At the same time specific activities of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA aminotransferase (GABA-T) two enzymes of GABA pathway did not change as compared with the control plants. The response of two GABA-T activities (with pyruvate or 2-oxoglutarate as amino acid acceptor) to aminooxyacetate, 3-chloro-L-alanine and p-hydroxymercuribenzoate prompted us to suggest that at least two isoforms of GABA-T showing different substrate specificity do exist in wheat leaves.

Two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes differing in their sensitivity to water deficit (stress tolerant - C306 and stress susceptible - HD2329) were subjected to osmotic stress for 7 d using polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000; osmotic potential -1.0 MPa), at initial vegetative growth. The plants were either supplemented with 1 mM CaCl₂ (Ca²⁺) alone or along with verapamil (VP; calcium channel blocker) to investigate the involvement of calcium in governing osmoregulation. Relative elongation rate (RER), dry matter (DM) production, water potential (Ψ_w), electrolyte leakage (EL), contents of proline (Pro) and glycine betaine (GB) and activities of γ-glutamyl kinase (GK) and proline oxidase (PO) in shoots and roots were examined during stress period. C306 showed relatively higher accumulation of Pro while HD2329 accumulated more GB under stress. RER, DM and Ψ_w were relatively higher in C306 than HD2329. Roots compared to shoots showed lower content of osmolytes but had faster rate of their accumulation. Presence of Ca²⁺ in the medium increased the activity of GK and decreased that of PO while in the presence of its inhibitor, decrease in activity of both the enzymes was observed. Ca²⁺ appeared to reduce the damaging effect of stress by elevating the content of Pro and GB, improving the water status and growth of seedlings and minimizing the injury to membranes. The protective effect of Ca²⁺ was observed to be more in HD2329 than C306.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to analyze genetic fidelity of micropropagated teak (Tectona grandis L.) clones with respect to subcultural passage. Of the twenty primers screened, no variation in RAPD profiles was noticed in the in vitro clones of fifth, tenth, fifteenth and twentieth passage in comparison to the in vivo mother plants. Only one micropropagated plant of twenty-fifth subcultural passage, however, differed from the in vivo ones. It revealed the appearance of a new polymorphic DNA fragment (molecular mass 379 kb) in case of primer OPB-08. This primer, manifesting detectable variation, may be utilized as a diagnostic marker for assessing genetic fidelity of micropropagted teak plants.

Flowers of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat cv. Lalima were greyed red and florets were flat spoon shaped. Ray florets after inoculation on the Murashige and Skoog's medium supplemented with 1.07 μM α-naphthaleneacetic acid and 8.87 μM benzyladenine were irradiated with γ-radiation (0.5 Gy and 1 Gy). All the regenerated shoots either from control or from γ-irradiated florets were isolated, rooted and transplanted in the field after hardening. Two mutants were obtained in the γ-irradiated plants (0.5 Gy). Both the mutants were yellow coloured but one having flat spoon shaped ray florets similar to the original cultivar, while the other having tubular florets. Both the mutants were propagated vegetatively and have produced true-to-type flowers.

Transient expression of β-glucuronidase (GUS) in zygotic embryo axes of two cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars NHH-44 and DCH-32 was induced by Agrobacterium mediated transformation or by particle bombardment. For Agrobacterium transformation, disarmed A. tumefaciens strain GV 2260/p35SGUSINT was used. In cv. NHH-44, the maximum frequency of transient expression (14.28 %) was achieved on spotting Agrobacterium paste on the apical regions of the split embryo axes. The method resulted in a transformed callus line, which showed strong GUS activity. Integration of NPTII gene was confirmed by Southern analysis. Transgene expression by particle bombardment was achieved with p35SGUSINT and pIBGUS plasmids independently. The maximum frequency of GUS expression in 29.16 % explants was observed in cultivar NHH-44 with gold microcarriers (1.1 µm) when bombarded once with rupture disc of 7586 kPa at target cell distance of 6 cm. A transformed callus line was obtained when explants were bombarded with p35SGUSINT and cultured on Murashige and Skoog's medium supplemented with B₅ vitamins, 0.1 mg dm^-3 1-phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl) urea, 0.01 mg dm^-3 α-naphthaleneacetic acid, 3 % glucose + 50 mg dm^-3 kanamycin. High GUS activity was observed in callus tissue as well as in somatic embryo like structures achieved in liquid shake cultures.

Aim of this work was to find the best source for obtaining high amount of copper amine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.6) that can be further used for analytical or industrial applications. The study focused on plant enzymes, because they occur in much higher content in the starting material than the enzymes from other sources, have higher specific activity and are also more thermostable. Presence of the amine oxidase was tested in extracts from 4 to 7-d-old seedlings of thirty-four various Fabaceae plants. Amine oxidases from nine selected plants were purified by general method involving ammonium sulfate fractionation, controlled heat denaturation, and three chromatographic steps. Kinetic properties of the amine oxidases purified were tested with a wide range of substrates and inhibitors and were found to be very similar. Best purification yield, and total and specific activities were obtained for the enzyme from grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) throughout all purification steps. Hence, the grass pea extract was chosen as a suitable candidate for massive production of the amine oxidase.

Growth and activities of peroxidases, chitinases and glucanases were studied in order to evaluate the response of calli and roots of pink root-susceptible Allium cepa cvs. Valcatorce and T-412 and resistant A. fistulosum cv. Nogiwa Negi, to sterile culture filtrates of Phoma terrestris. Untreated calli and roots of A. fistulosum exhibited higher activity of peroxidases and glucanases than that of Valcatorce and T-412. Enzyme activities and growth of roots and calli were not affected in filtrate-treated A. fistulosum. The growth of calli and roots of A. cepa cultivars decreased significantly after exposure to P. terrestris filtrates while the peroxidase and glucanase activities increased. Peroxidase and glucanase activities were also enhanced in roots of Valcatorce bulbs grown in P. terrestris-inoculated soil as compared to healthy control plants. We conclude that a high constitutive activity of glucanases and perhaps chitinases might account for the resistance of A. fistulosum. The differential reaction (with respect to root growth) of pink root-susceptible and resistant materials to culture filtrates indicates that this in vitro-system might be useful for the screening of onion breeding lines.

Simple, fast and cost-effective method for preparation of DNA with high molecular weight (HMW DNA) from plant nuclei and mitotic chromosomes has been developed. The technique involves mechanical homogenization of formaldehyde-fixed root tips, purification of nuclei and/or chromosomes on sucrose gradient, embedding in low-melting-point agarose, and DNA isolation in agarose plugs. Alternatively, nuclei and chromosomes may be purified using flow cytometry. Majority of DNA obtained is megabase-sized and well digestible by restriction endonucleases. The method is highly efficient as microgram amounts of DNA can be obtained from only several milligrams of plant tissue. Handling negligible amounts of plant material reduces the consumption of chemicals. Furthermore, the use of root tips makes it possible to obtain high-quality DNA even from plant species with leaves that are rigid or rich in secondary metabolites such as polyphenols. It is expected that preparation of HMW DNA from root tip nuclei will facilitate long-range mapping and construction of large-insert DNA libraries also in these species. Successful isolation of HMW DNA from flow-sorted chromosomes opens a way for construction of chromosome-specific large-insert libraries in plants.

Almost all processes in the life of a plant are directly or indirectly affected by both stresses and phytohormones. Nevertheless, apart from abscisic acid, the role of phytohormones in plant response to water stress is far from being fully elucidated. This review tries to answer the question whether interactions between abscisic acid and some other phytohormones might be important in the regulation of stomatal opening during water stress and subsequent rehydration. Firstly, it describes the changes in the contents of individual endogenous phytohormones during water stress. Then, it deals with the effects of applied phytohormones on stomatal opening, and on transpiration and photosynthetic rates in different plants species. Finally, it focuses on the alleviation or stimulation of absicic acid-induced stomatal closure by application of other phytohormones.

The modified nucleotide content of the ribosomal RNAs in wheat is greatly influenced by light. The rRNAs of etiolated seedlings contain far fewer modified derivatives. The modified nucleotide composition characteristic of green plants develops gradually as a result of irradiation. In the course of the experiments changes in the state of modification of 5.8S and 18S rRNAs were examined during the greening of etiolated wheat seedlings. Three types of minor nucleotides, O^2'-methyladenosine, O^2'-methylguanosine and pseudouridine were found in the 5.8S rRNA of green wheat leaves, none of which was detected in etiolated wheat. The minor nucleotides appeared in the 5.8S rRNA only after 48 h irradiation. The sequences of 5.8S rDNA, TTS1, ITS2 and 18S rDNA were also determined and the presence of the hyper-modified nucleotide 1-methyl-3-(α-amino-α-carboxypropyl)-pseudouridine was detected in green wheat 18S rRNA. This minor component was not demonstrable in etiolated wheat 18S rRNA, but appeared after irradiation for 48 h.

A simple and rapid method for multiple shoot formation in vitro from immature embryo axis explants of Carica papaya L. cvs. Honey Dew, Washington and Co2 is described. Multiple shoot regeneration was achieved by culture of the explants on modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented either with thidiazuron (TDZ; 0.45-22.7 μM) or a combination of benzylaminopurine (BAP; 0.2 - 8.84 μM) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA; 0.5 - 2.64 μM). Highest frequency of shoot regeneration occurred on medium supplemented either with 2.25 μM TDZ or a combination of BAP (4.4 μM) and NAA (0.5 μM). Composition of the basal media influenced the frequency of multiple shoot initiation. Stunted shoots regenerated at 4.5 μM and higher concentrations of TDZ. Such shoots could, however, be elongated by transfer to medium containing 5.7 μM GA₃. Rooting of the regenerated shoots was achieved in presence of indolebutyric acid (IBA; 4.92 - 19.68 μM), however, least response was in presence of 14.7 μM IBA. Rooted plants were hardened and transferred to pots.