Agar/galactomannan blends for strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne) cv. Pelican micropropagation

The efficacy of partial substitution of agar by galactomannans (GMs) obtained from different sources was tested in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne) cv. Pelican micropropagation. GMs extracted from seeds of Cassia fastuosa (cassia) and Cyamopsis tetragonolobus (guar gum – a commercial GM) were mixed with agar in the proportion of 0.3/0.3% (w/v) in MS medium, and the performance was compared with behaviour of medium containing agar only (0.6%, w/v) as gelling agent. The results obtained showed that agar could be partially replaced by GMs, since the rheological measurements confirmed a good interaction between the polysaccharides. Also, better performance and enhanced proliferation of strawberry shoots were observed; where in the modified medium the length of roots was higher. Thus, the behaviour of the agar/galactomannans gels and the commercial cost effectiveness, which is lower for the modified medium compared with the system solidified with agar only, showed the potential use of these galactomannans for application in plant tissue culture.