Abstract

E. Y. Nyamah, E. Brenya and S. Yeboah

The in-vitro response of three Nigerian cultivars of tomato - Ibadan local (IbL), Ife and JM94/46 (JM) - were tested using cotyledons as explants for direct shoot regeneration. The cultivars showed variable responses in the two media used. In the medium consisting of an initial culture on pre-culture medium made up of Murashige and Skoog (MS) with 1.0 mg L-1 naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1.0 mg L-1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and subsequent culture on shoot regeneration medium consisting of MS with 0.1 mg L-1 thiamine, 0.5 mg L-1 indoleacetic acid (IAA) and 0.5 mg L-1 zeatin. Results showed that 15.65% of the cultured explants of IbL cultivar produced shoots, while Ife and JM cultivars did not produce any shoots. In the second medium consisting of MS with 0.1 mg L- 1 IAA and 1.0 mg L-1 zeatin, 64 - 97% of the cultured cotyledon explants from the three cultivars produced shoots. Rooting medium was MS with 0.1 ml L-1 NAA. Statistical analysis of regeneration data using Student Neuman Keul’s (SNK) mean values for cultivar-medium interaction showed that Ife and JM94/46 were not significantly different (P>0.05) for shooting explants and number of shoots. However, both were significantly different from IbL P<0.05 for shooting explants and number of shoots produced. The least significant difference among the cultivars for shooting explants and number of shoots on the shoot regeneration medium was 0.0005 and 0.001, respectively. SNK mean values for cultivar-media interaction for shooting explants and number of shoots produced were not significantly different (P>0.05) among the three cultivars.