Micropropagation of Lycium depressum, a promising native shrub for urban ‎landscape

Lycium depressum, a prickly shrub from Solanaceae family, is a native species from Iran with high salinity and drought tolerance ability. In this study, the establishments of an efficient micropropagation method for L. desressum was investigated. In the first experiment, the effects of benzylaminoporin (BAP) and thiadiazuron (TDZ) in combination with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) were investigated. In the second experiment, the effect of various organic and inorganic compounds including myo-inositol, casein hydrolysate, proline, FeEDDHA, as well as calcium chloride on the improvement of proliferation and quality of in vitro regenerated shoots were evaluated. According to the results of these experiments, BAP at low concentration (0.5 mg / L) was regarded as the best treatment for in vitro proliferation of L. depressum. Moreover, the maximum leaf number was achieved in this treatment. In addition, increasing the concentration of myo-inositol to 200 mg/l in MS medium, enhanced shoot proliferation, leaf size and quality of regenerated shoots. The highest root number and length was obtained on full strength MS medium supplemented with 0.3 mg/l IBA. Following rooting, the developed plantlets were hardened and established successfully in culture room with 95% survival rate. Overall, this experiment resulted in an efficient micropropagation protocol for L. depressum. The findings of this study can facilitate the path to more extensive research program on various aspects of domestication of this valuable medicinal and landscape species.