EFFECT OF ACTIVATED CHARCOAL, CULTURE MEDIA AND PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON In vitro GERMINATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF ELITE DURA OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) ZYGOTIC EMBRYOS

Innumerable usage and huge economic importance of oil palm necessitates the wider spectrum of genetic variability, but its narrow genetic base makes major constraint in achieving the genetic variance which mandates the conservation of promising and elite material in field gene bank, which is resources demanding. In this context tissue culture has become an only promising alternative, and among several explant sources, zygotic embryo could achieve a repeatable results in in vitro germination. Hence in this study the effect of culture media (CM), activated charcoal (AC) and plant growth regulators (PGR) were assessed with 12 treatments on initial differentiation and further development of zygotic embryos. Elite Dura ZEs were cultured on MS,N6&Y3 media, with or without AC (2g L-1) and with or without PGR (NAA, BA& GA3-0.2mg L-1). AC has a significant effect on initial differential stages of ZEs and further development of in vitro plantlets, whereas no effect of CM& PGR on initial differential stages of ZEs whereas on further development of in vitro plantlets there was a significant effect of CM. The best culture medium for the growth and development of plantlets was N6 medium supplemented with PGR and AC which shows vigorous growth (18.58 cm) than the remaining media formulations.