EFFICIENCY OF VARIOUS PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON MICROPROPAGATION OF HAWTHORN (CRATAEGUS SPP.)

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) as an edible wild fruit is important in horticulture due to high levels of human healthy contents. Micropropagation of suitable wild plant species plays an important role in their cultivation. Therefore, it was aimed to improve a proper protocol for micropropagation of Albatros 3 and Akbucak 1 hawthorn genotypes in vitro by means of shoot-tip culture. DKW medium, macro and microelements, and vitamins were used in shoot development, replication and rooting stages for Crataegus spp. DKW medium containing 2 mg L-1 BAP and 0.2 mg L-1 IBA combination gave the highest number of shoots per plant, 12.18 for Akbucak 1, and 12.12 for Albatros 3, respectively, while 1 mg L-1 BAP and 0.1 mg L-1 IBA, and 2 mg L-1 BAP and 0.1 mg L-1 IBA concentrations were ideal for obtaining the highest length of shoots per explant, 3.76 for Albatros 3, and 3.62 for Akbucak 1, respectively. According to the results of this study, the successful rooting of hawthorn was achieved from DKW medium containing 2 mg L-1 IBA, 1 mg L-1 NAA, 0.1 mg L-1 BAP, and 0.2 mg L-1 GA(3) only in Albatros 3 genotype. However, Akbucak 1 did not root. It is possible to produce more clonal Crataegus spp in short time and optimal medium. Moreover, the rooting of hawthorn was observed in one genotype and medium despite being a plant with difficult rooting in vitro.