Investigation of micropropagation characteristics of Pistacia integerrima, a rootstock of pistachio (Pistacia vera l.)"

This study was conducted between 2021 and 2025 at the Plant Biotechnology Laboratory of the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Malatya Turgut Özal University. The primary objective of the research was to determine the in vitro micropropagation potential of Pistacia integerrima, a commonly used rootstock in pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) cultivation, and to develop suitable propagation protocols for this species. The study aimed to establish an efficient, reproducible, and sustainable tissue culture platform that can support future genetic improvement programs. In the experiments, microcuttings obtained from healthy shoots were surface sterilized and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose and 1 mg/L BAP to initiate the culture. Shoot tips measuring 0.5–1 cm were used to evaluate the effects of different culture media (especially NRM), media strengths (full and half-strength), various sugar types, BAP concentrations, and combinations of BAP with different doses of NAA and IBA on proliferation. During the rooting stage, the effects of different types and concentrations of auxins on root formation were investigated. Additionally, during the acclimatization phase, the performance of various substrates was assessed to ensure successful transfer of plantlets to ex vitro conditions. At the end of the experiments, morphological and developmental parameters such as number of shoots, shoot length, number of roots, and root length were measured and compared. According to the results, the best outcomes for shoot proliferation were obtained from medium composed of NRM, at half-strength (½ NRM), with fructose as the carbon source, 2 mg/L BAP, and a combination of 1 mg/L BAP + 0.3 mg/L NAA. The most effective rooting was achieved with 2 mg/L IBA, while the highest acclimatization success was observed in a peat and perlite mixture.