EFFECTS OF VARIOUS HORMONE COMPOUNDS AND EXPLANTS ON REGENERATION RATE OF THE SORREL PLANT (RUMEX ASETOSA L.)

Sorrel (Rumex asetosa L. ) is a dioecous plant which could be used as a model plant to study genes involved in floral parts formation. Optimizing tissue culture and regeneration in this plant is necessary in order to identify the role of such genes. Therefore effects of different explants and hormone components of the media culture were studied in sorrel. MS medium was chosen as the basic medium and the effects of various concentrations of auxins IAA and NAA, cytokinins BAP and TDZ on three types of explants, petiol, leaf base and leaf blade were studied for plant regeneration. The results indicated that using leaf base fragments as explants on a MS media containing 0.5 mg 1^-1 NAA, 3 mg 1^-1 BAP, 3% saccarose and 0.7 mg 1^-1 had the highest shoot regeneration rate (32%). Using 0.5 mg 1^-1 TDZ also showed the same result. This study was performed in 2005 at the laboratory complex of Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch.