Propagación in Vitro de Geranium Chilloense Willd. Ex Kunth. Para la Obtención de Plantas Completas

Geranium chilloense Willd. ex Kunth is known by the name of geranium of the chillos, is an ornamental plant, native to the Andes that is found wild in the ravines of the Metropolitan District of Quito and is part of the history of the native flora of Quito since it has been described since the expedition of Alexander Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland in 1802. The present study presents a protocol for in vitro propagation of Geranium chilloense Willd. ex Kunth, to obtain complete plants. For in vitro germination, two scarifications, three disinfection protocols and three concentrations of MS salts were evaluated. The recommended scarification consisted of three days of hydration, followed by a two-hour immersion in a dilution of acetic acid (10%), since it allowed obtaining a germination percentage of 31%. For disinfection, the P3 protocol was selected with 70% ethanol (1 min), 20% v/v sodium hypochlorite (1.2 p. a) plus tween (20 min), as it obtained low fungal contamination (3%). Meanwhile, for the introduction to the culture medium, MS salts reduced to 25% of their concentration were recommended, since they resulted in a higher germination percentage (41%). For multiplication, concentrations and interactions of growth regulators were evaluated, and the use of treatment T2 (AIA 0.5 ppm) is recommended, since it achieved the highest number of shoots per explant (3.88). Finally, in the substrate adaptation phase, peat and coconut fibers were evaluated, with sterile peat being the substrate that presented the highest percentages for the variable shoot set (81%).