Effects of different concentrations of plant regulators on In vitro micropropagation of Celtis caucasica Willd.

Celtis caucasica Willd is one of the native Iranian hard wood trees. The tree is resistant to drought and Dutch elm disease. Therefore, preserving and propagation of elite trees is so important for forest reclamation in semi arid zones. In vitro micropropagation of C. caucasica through bud culture was performed. The best sterilization treatment for shooting was 0.1% HgCl2 solution for 1 min in explants obtained during winter and 5 to 7 min for adult tree obtained during autumn season. DKW medium containing 0.5 mgl-1 BAP, 0.5 mgl-1 2ip was suitable for shoot establishment and multiplication. Plantlets were placed in hormone free medium for two weeks then transferred to main rooting treatments. The best root length growth observed in DKW medium with 0.5 mgl-1NAA. Finally, root treatment of 0.5 mgl-1NAA showed the highest percentage of vitality (99%) in acclimation step in greenhouse.