Biochemical investigations during in vitro adventitious shoot regeneration in leaflet explants from nodal segments of a mature Albizia procera tree

The in vitro adventitious shoot differentiation in leaflet explants of an adult tree differed from that of leaflet explants of seedlings of Albizia procera (Roxb.) Benth. reported previously elsewhere. The leaflet explants from an adult tree passed through an initial callus phase for 30 days on MS medium supplemented with 3 % sucrose, 2.5 A mu M 2,4-D followed by a subsequent adventitious shoot differentiation phase for another 30 days on half MS medium supplemented with 0.25 A mu M each of BA and IBA. The regeneration rate of in vitro adventitious shoots in explants from the adult tree, i.e.1.66 shoots/callus, was lower than that from seedlings, i.e. > 10 shoots/callus, which was reported elsewhere. Correspondingly, the activities of nitrate reductase and peroxidase, and endogenous phenol content remained very low during in vitro adventitious shoot differentiation in leaflet explants of an adult tree possibly due to lower availability of competent stem (juvenile) cells for the process.